A Walk in the Park-
Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto.
Chapter Thirty One-
Guy's Night
It had already been about two months after my race and the dinner we had with Sakura's parents. Itachi had been on the phone with her mother regularly, shocking Sakura and I with this newfound friendship. I half expected him to go over there to have tea or something at least once a week with the way he carried on. This weird bonding they've developed feels like it's going to create problems. In all honesty, I really didn't want to think about it or see the recently evil glint in his eyes promising my embarrassment. Thankfully, he and Kakashi were in the main building today while the guys and I worked in the shop, Naruto's engagement being the main topic of our discussion.
"I can't believe it. You dog, you actually proposed." Kiba said as he slapped Naruto on the back.
"You're the dog, Kiba. And of course I did! She's the love of my life!" Naruto reminded.
"She's also my cousin." Neji stated cooly and Naruto sheepishly glanced in his direction.
Neji had been complaining all day how Naruto should've ask him for Hinata's hand or at least told him he was going to ask her. At first it wouldn't seem like a big deal, but Neji's family was big on tradition and he saw Hinata more as a younger sister. His overprotectiveness reminded me of Itachi when I was little. He has calmed down a bit, but he still had moments when he was overbearing.
"You know he meant well." Shikamaru insisted, coming to Naruto's rescue. "He may not be the smartest man around, but he is the most reliable."
"Hey! I am too smart!" Naruto huffed. "You've been spending time with Sasuke, haven't you?"
Shikamaru laughed at the accusation and Neji sighed. "Perhaps having a new addition to the family won't be the worst thing in the world, even if it is Naruto."
"Oh come on, not you too!" Naruto whined and I smirked. Naruto caught it and narrowed his eyes in a glare. "Bastard, you've turned them against me you corruptor."
"I am still on your side, Naruto!" Lee swore and gave him his fiery gaze of youth.
"Ha! Once again, you're the only one." Kiba said and Naruto elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"
"Less talking, more working." I lightly scolded and it was dropped for the moment. Lunch time, however, brought it back at full force.
"So what is it like to be engaged?" Lee asked as we gathered around a table.
Naruto scratched his head in thought. "Eh, not much different I guess. We feel closer and are excited, but I don't think anything will really change until we're hitched." He explained.
"I wanna know about your bachelor party." Kiba demanded. "We're getting strippers, right?"
"Ask the best man." Naruto grinned and looked at me, the guys following suit.
I wiped my mouth and gave them a firm look. "I'm not giving any details yet. All you have to do is show up at Naruto's house Saturday night." I told them. "And no, there won't be any strippers."
"What?!" Kiba yelled. "How are we gonna have a bachelor party without strippers?! Come on, Sasuke!"
"If you want a stripper, fine. Go take your single ass and find one. I have no interest in being around any naked woman unless her name is Sakura Haruno." I said firmly.
"Okay, point taken, but what about Naruto?" Kiba asked, grasping at straws.
"He'd better not." Neji growled.
Naruto raised his hands, quick to prove his innocence. "Hey, I didn't ask for strippers." He pointed out. "I'm way more than happy with Hinata."
"Oh for fucks sake! Shikamaru, Lee, you two are with me, right?" Kiba asked and they both averted their eyes. "Really? Oh my god, you guys are so boring!"
Shikamaru sighed. "Give it up, Kiba. It's Sasuke's decision."
"He is the best man." Lee commented.
"Haha, that's right." Naruto grinned and gave Kiba a pointed look. "You'll just have to deal with it."
I hid a smile before changing the subject. "Are you all still free after work?"
"Yeah." Kiba grumbled and Lee nodded.
"Neji and I have to pick up some stuff, but it won't take long. We can meet you there." Shikamaru said.
Naruto turned to me with a confused expression. "What? Go where? What is everyone talking about?" He asked, completely clueless and I shook my head.
"Honestly, Hinata gave you one thing to do and you forget." I told him. "We have to have everyone fitted for the wedding."
"Oh shit!" Naruto yelled, blue eyes widening. "That's right, that was today! Oh man, thanks for handling that. You're the best."
My face remained stoic as I replied. "Tell me something I don't already know." I said and he laughed.
"You're so full of yourself." Naruto said and I shrugged. Why deny it if it was true?
The rest of the day was pretty slow, there weren't going to be any races for a while because of location issues. The next town scheduled to host had suffered some damages from a fire that had broken out near a factory. There were only a handful of places that supported our type of racing despite the number of fans that lived there, they wouldn't shut down roads for us to race. We weren't on the NASCAR level of fame or support, our field of influence was still growing. On top of that it was impossible to race in a specific stadium built like NASCAR. It would defeat the spirit of street racing if it wasn't on the streets, even if the course was mapped out and predictable in a sense.
I was disappointed to say the least. Now that I was back in the game, I was itching to get behind the wheel again and race. I'll admit that I was feeling greedy, but I had to be patient. I would have my chance soon enough by what Itachi told me the other day. However, it might not be for another few months. Naruto was feeling the same way, though he was bored more than anything else. He rode with me on the way to the tailors while Kiba rode with Lee, Neji and Shikamaru going to run errands. The place was only fifteen minutes away and the four of us quickly made our way inside the beige colored building. I led the way up to the front desk where a black haired woman was seated.
She smiled sweetly before greeting us. "Hello gentlemen, how can I help you?"
Naruto swung an arm around my shoulder before he answered. "Yeah, um, we're the Uzumaki party of six."
The lady nodded her head and began typing on her computer, looking for the appointment. "Yes, here we are. Please see your way to room four."
"Alright, thanks! Oh and if two other guys come in and ask where we are, they're with us." Naruto stated and headed over to the light colored room.
"So do you know how long this is going to take?" Kiba asked. "Did you pick out the tuxes?"
Naruto looked at him as if he asked what his favorite color was. "Duh, of course I did." He told him. "And how the fuck should I know how long it's gonna take?"
"Hey, I was just asking." Kiba defended. "Besides, for all you know I could have a date later tonight."
"Kiba, you didn't tell us you were dating!" Lee exclaimed, offended.
"He isn't, ignore him." I said just as the door opened. Three men came in carrying our black tuxes, Neji and Shikamaru following a few moments behind them.
"That was fast." Naruto commented.
"I told you it wouldn't take long." Shikamaru responded and everyone froze for a second when I gasped.
"Oh hell no." I groaned and Naruto grinned, already catching on, no doubt expecting my reaction.
Naruto laughed like the idiot he is. "Hahaha, hell yes. Don't try to get out of it, Sasuke." He said as he picked up one of the god awful orange ties.
"You can't be serious. Tell me you're joking right now, even you wouldn't have your groomsmen dressed in that atrocious color." I reasoned, hoping this wasn't for real. The other guys laughed at my reaction, seeming to have no problems with this turn of events.
That infuriating grin of his widened. "I'm dead serious." He stated, enjoying this way too much. "You should thank your girlfriend. Originally I wanted the tuxes to be orange too."
"Just give it up, Sasuke. He is the groom after all." Kiba chuckled and I had half the mind to go over there and punch him.
"Be honest with me. Did you pick an orange tie just to make Sasuke wear it?" Shikamaru asked and Naruto grinned evilly.
I didn't like the suggestive look in his eyes and his wiggling brows. "That's hard to say, it is my favorite color after all." Naruto mused and I glared at him.
"He only did it to mess with you." Neji observed and I completely agreed. This wedding was going to be a nightmare.
Saturday night came around a lot sooner than I thought and I wasn't able to persuade Naruto out of his choice in tie colors. I had stocked Naruto's house with ordered pizza, which I already had a few pieces of, and beer. I was going to be nice and get some of that cheap shit Kiba likes, but after his comment in the tailors, I decided not to.
Once all the guys got there we turned on the hideous flat screen to watch and comment on races. They were surprised my idea of a bachelors party was more along the lines of a guys night, but none of them were complaining. It took us less than an hour to really get going, downing our drinks and placing bets on who would come in first.
"Damn, Hashirama is kicking ass this year." Naruto said as we watched him hold the lead.
"Tobirama isn't far behind." I reminded.
Kiba stuffed a slice pizza in his mouth. "Aren't they brothers?"
"Yeah but that doesn't stop them from going all out." Shikamaru explained.
"Their fire of youth is truly great." Lee insisted and Neji smacked his hand when he tried to sneak a beer.
Then Neji took a swig of his own beer and narrowed his eyes. "Hiruzen may be old, but he isn't someone to overlook."
The debates and energy levels only raised as time went on, more and more empty beer cans stacking up.
"What the fuck?!" Naruto and I yelled at the same time when the Senju brothers suddenly lost control of their race cars.
"There was nothing even touching them!" Kiba added, standing up and chugging his beer.
Lee started wiggling his legs, anxious as the cars sped along. "Oh no, looks like Hiruzen took the lead." He stated and everyone but Neji groaned. It wasn't like we hated the old timer, we just didn't bet on him.
"Hang on, it's not over yet!" Shikamaru yelled and the Senju brothers were back on the track, desperately trying to pass the other racers and reclaim the lead.
Neji gasped at their quick maneuvers, some techniques I would never dream of doing. "Shit, they're crazy." He said. "Even Naruto doesn't drive like that."
"Hey!" Naruto yelled but kept his eyes glued to the screen.
Sure enough, the Senju brothers pulled it off and were right behind Hiruzen. They were approaching the finish line now, all three of them gunning it, trying to overtake the others. All of us were on our feet, waiting for the final stretch to end.
"Go, Hashirama!" Naruto cheered at the same time I yelled "Come on, Tobirama!"
"Fuck, Hiruzen looks like he's going to take it!" Kiba groaned and a second later they all passed the finish line.
"Damn it, it was too close to call. Anyone see who passed first?" Naruto asked as he plopped back down on the couch.
"Hang on, here comes the replay." Neji said and we watched the slow-mo finish.
Tobirama was the one to cross just a hair before the others, taking the win.
"Yes!" I yelled as Naruto screamed into a pillow.
Kiba slouched in the arm chair and rubbed his belly. "I thought for sure Hashirama took that one." He said.
"That was one of the closest races I've seen in awhile." Shikamaru told us. "Good thing I was rooting for Tobirama."
Neji hummed. "I thought Hiruzen was going to make a comeback, but perhaps his days in the spotlight are over." He mused.
Lee gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, he could win next time." He offered as Shikamaru and I split the pile of cash on the table.
"Gah! Whatever, next race Hashirama is taking Tobirama down!" Naruto declared and I smirked at him.
"We'll see about that. Though I wonder what the hell happened to their cars near the end." I stated. Suddenly going out of control like that but still able to continue the race. It looked suspicious to me.
"I think it was-" Shikamaru started only to be cut off by his phone. He looked at a text and a dreamy expression crossed his face so fast that for a moment I questioned it happening.
He saw me staring and cleared his throat. "Who was that?" I asked, curious about his strange behavior.
"Temari." He was texting a girl?
"Woah, wait. Who the fuck it Temari?" Naruto asked.
Kiba was quick to jump in. "Is she your girlfriend? When did that happen?" He asked and Lee gasped.
"First Kiba and now Shikamaru . . . why do you all insist on leaving me out of the loop?" He whined.
"Lee, I told you before Kiba's ass is single. And we all were kept in the dark about this." I said, ignoring Kiba's offended 'hey'.
Neji was stuck in thought for a moment before realization crossed his features. "Temari . . . isn't that Gaara's older sister?" He asked and Naruto's jaw dropped.
"YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY?!" He yelled and I smacked him for screaming right next to me.
Shikamaru rubbed his neck. "She's not the enemy, calm down Naruto." He told him. "It just sort of happened."
"Yes, because that explains everything." Neji said and I sighed.
"I don't care who you date as long as you don't let anything about the team slip." I stated firmly and Naruto frantically nodded his head.
"She could be a spy for all you know." Naruto added and pointed his finger at Shikamaru. "If that's the case, you have a duty to be a spy too!"
I rolled my eyes and gave him a pointed look. "Naruto. Shut up."
He picked up the pillow he had screamed into and threw it at me, which I dodged. "Bastard! You know I'm right!"
"I know you're an idiot." I said and cracked open another beer.
Kiba sat back up and burped, completely stuffed. "How long has this been going on?" He asked.
"About three months." He answered and Naruto threw another pillow, this time at Shikamaru.
"What the fuck? Why didn't you tell us anything?" Naruto huffed despite being one of the reasons himself.
"Maybe he didn't want to have pillows thrown at him." Neji suggested which got him his very own pillow to the face.
I changed the channel to another race and moved all the pillows out of Naruto's reach. "We can talk more about this later, let's drop it for now."
The next race was full of amateurs but we watched it anyway. It was important to see the new and upcoming drivers, this was our world after all. We have seen many of them try to turn over to street racing thinking it would be easier. Dumb asses. Later Naruto wanted to watch the national race news only to see if they talk about him in the street racing segment. It was mostly praise for his skill and averages until it quickly turned into a story covering my come back. We laughed at his outrage before cheering him up. This was a party for him, can't let him get too depressed.
After he was back in high spirits, we went back to drinking and eating for a few hours. It had been a long time since the six of us had gotten together to hang out. We were all much looser with the pressure of work and more than enough alcohol in our systems. Naruto suggested we head upstairs to shoot some pool, see who was the best drunk shot. Lee was the exception, the only one sober as we got into our regular teams. Kiba was actually holding his own despite usually being the worst player. Neji and Shikamaru's hand and eye coordination had gone to shit and pretty much half assed it most of the time.
Naruto and I held strong but were no match for Lee's soberness and Kiba's hidden while drunk talent. We ended up playing around five games before going back downstairs for more pizza and of course beer. The conversation drifted to what everyone was up to in our personal lives, Temari being brought up yet again. Naruto was just giving Shikamaru a hard time and Kiba was jealous that he managed to find a girlfriend before he could. As the night went on, everyone reached a level of drunk we hadn't experienced since our fresh out of college days when team Konoha was first working out the team part.
I actually felt bad that Lee had to deal with the five of us, all belonging to a different category of drunks. Kiba was the flirt, throwing pick up lines at anything with a pulse. He was out of luck tonight since we had stayed in, but that didn't stop him from hitting girls up on social media. Shikamaru was the over emotional one. Every sentence out of his mouth started with "I feel", "I need", "I just" and "I want". He turned into what he would soberly call a real drag. Neji was the dialer, somehow his phone magically appeared in his hand and he had to use it. Every contact in his phone would end up with a message before this party was over and he always ends up swearing he'll never drink again the next morning.
He was in the middle of a voicemail when Lee finally had the sense to take the phone away, luckily before he reached his parent's number.
"I love you so much, Hinata, you're like a sister to me if I was a woman. I'm so glad you and Naruto are getting married and I want you to know I support you two and all your children. I've always thought that- Lee, I wasn't finished!" Neji protested as his phone was confiscated.
"Did you REEEEEEEEALLY mean that, NEJI? You're SOOOOOOOOOOOO NICE!" Naruto yelled as he captured Neji in a bone crushing hug.
Naruto was the shrieker. His voice gets higher and everything has to be screamed because it's so exciting. In my opinion, it was just his personality enhanced to really, really, really annoying levels. I don't place myself into a category, only describing myself as having no filter and not giving a fuck. According to Naruto though, I'm the one who doesn't give a shit. He says I'll listen when you talk to me but I don't give a shit about what you're saying, I'm only there for the drink. I knew I could be an ass but I didn't think I was that bad.
"SASUKE! Did you hear what NEJI said?" Naruto asked and flopped down next to me. "He LOVES ME AAAAAAAAAAAND HINATA . . . and-and he's like a SISTER if I was a woman, A WOMAN!"
"Yeah, yeah. Good for you." I told him and he pouted.
"YOU don't CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!" He yelled in my face and I shoved his into the couch.
He pushed me off and we fell to the floor, this time me being the one to yell. "I do care! You both make great women, just stop yelling in my fucking ear!"
"I don't BELIEEEEEEEEEEEVE YOU!" He whined and we ended up wrestingly on the floor like five year olds. Lee had tried to break us up but soon realized it was better to let us fight it out, a third party would only end up as collateral damage.
Neji used his new found freedom to bug Shikamaru. "Shika, let me borrow your phone. I forgot to tell Hinata about her kids, she has to know her son's just like his dad."
"I feel like all sons should be like there dads. I want to have a relationship like that too with my kid." Shikamaru told him, handing over his phone. "I just want us to be closer and be a real family and hang out like we do and not be a drag, man. I need you guys to be my friends forever, I love you guys."
Kiba was still in the armchair stalking girls on Facebook until Lee had to confiscate his phone too. "Nooooooooooo, damn it Lee! I thought you wanted me to have a Temari!"
Lee was stuck babysitting the five of us and had to take on the role of the designated driver, we were clearly smashed. By the end of the night only Naruto and I still had our phones, Kiba was crying about being alone forever, Shikamaru was worried Temari wouldn't want kids, Neji assured us of his love and recommended his voicemails as evidence, Lee almost drunk one beer to cope and Naruto and I were going on about how we would never fight again. It was a crazy night for sure.
After Lee had dropped off the rest of the gang, he drove Naruto and I to my house. He was too drunk to be left alone and I refused to leave him so there wasn't another option.
"Naruto, why didn't you tell me you have kids?" I asked as we sat in the back seat, seatbelts on courtesy of Lee.
Naruto's eyes slowly widened and his jaw dropped. "FUCK, I do?"
"Yeah, Neji was talking about it on Shikamaru's phone." I explained, too drunk to realize that we were drunk.
"Oh NOOO. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry. I didn't KNOW, SASUKE." Naruto insisted, gripping my shoulder in a silent promise that he was telling the truth. "I didn't KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
I looked at him thoughtfully before nodding a little more than necessary. "It's alright. Just make sure you tell me next time."
He grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "OKAY."
"Naruto."
"YEAH?"
"Stop yelling." I reminded and he put his hands over his mouth.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled in what he probably thought was a whisper, but was really a normal volume.
I was certain even someone like Lee had a headache after dealing with us tonight, but it was all for the best. After all, after that certain incident when Lee had a single beer we experienced what we call the roughest drag in history, named by Shikamaru. The five of us had learned that even one drink was enough to break all hell loose and that hell was Lee drunk as fuck. Let's just say his power of youth really came through and it was very . . . natural. In a sense, he owed us after causing the trouble he did. It was a blessing and a curse he had no recollection about what happened, I'm sure he wouldn't be able to live it down. Public indecency didn't even cover it, people were scarred forever with the images of that long night, especially us since we had the honor of seeing act two, three and four.
When we parked in my driveway, I helped Naruto out of his seatbelt after fighting with mine. They were pretty tricky things when you were drunk. Lee moved to get out and help us but I told him we could make it.
"Night, Lee." I said as I caught Naruto when he came around the car, tripping over his own feet.
"BYE LEEEEE!" He said, waving his arm rather than his hand.
Lee smiled and waved back out of the window. "Goodbye, have a great night and get some sleep."
He pulled out of the driveway and I helped Naruto inside, his arm over my shoulder as I carried half his weight. After fumbling with the keys for a bit, I finally got the door open and we stumbled inside. Sakura and Itachi were probably in bed by now. It was really late.
"I'm HOOOOOOOOOME!" Naruto yelled and I glared at him. Seriously, he was going to wake up the neighborhood.
"Quiet! Everyone's asleep." I scolded. "Which way is your room again?"
Naruto pursed his lips in thought. "EHHHHH. It's in my ROOM, Sasuke."
"Hn."
My feet apparently knew which direction that was and began moving down the hall only to end up stumbling.
I lost my grip on Naruto and he ended up face planting on the floor. "SHIT!" He screamed.
I rested my hands on my knees, trying to regain my balance and just stared rather than helping him up. "My bad." I said and looked up to see Sakura and Itachi standing in front of us.
Sakura came to my side and placed a hand on my back to steady me. Itachi picked Naruto off the ground and was hit full force with more of his drunk yelling.
"I'm SOOOOOO sorry." Naruto whined as he clutched my brother's shirt. "I'm sorry, ITACHI!"
"What are you sorry for?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't TELL YOU! I have KIDS! KIDS!" He explained. "I didn't KNOOOW and I didn't tell SASUKE! I have to TELL YOOOU!"
Itachi's expression was full of amusement as he answered. "I see. Congratulations." He said and Naruto grinned.
"Anikiiiiiiii." I said, turning his attention to me. "I have to take Naruto to his room."
"Don't worry, I'll take him for you." Itachi told me with a smirk. "You go with Sakura now."
Sakura helped hold my weight and started shaking with laughter. "You seem like you had a pretty good night."
"A lot happened." I sighed and gazed at her face. "Let's fuck."
"Wh-wha…. S-Sasuke!" Sakura's hold left me and her hip bumped against me, knocking me over.
Naruto laughed at the sight of me falling on my ass and Itachi just shook his head. "I'll be leaving him to you." Itachi told her and went on his way, Naruto still cackling.
I held out my hands to Sakura. "Help me up, kitten?"
She reached down and took my hands in hers, avoiding my gaze as she struggled to help me to my feet. "Well you need to help me help you, Sasuke." She argued.
"Alright. When we get to the bedroom, I'll strip." I promised with a wink.
"Oh my…" She mumbled as I finally got to my feet and stumbled ahead of her, dragging her along with me.
It was taking longer than it should have to walk down the hall and after awhile I leaned against the wall to take a break. "What the fuck. How long is this hallway?"
"Really… the room is right next to you." She muttered, opening the door and gesturing for me to go inside.
I took a deep breath and tried again, passing Luna on her way out of our room. I finally made it to the bed and started taking my shirt off. I tossed it away and moved on to my shoes, first the left and then the right. I glanced up to find Sakura standing there smiling but still fully clothed.
"Why aren't you getting naked?" I asked, pulling my socks off.
"Um… because you barely made it down the hallway… you really think you're in any condition to 'fuck'?"
I gave her a look of disbelief, shocked she could doubt me. "Those are two separate matters."
"I think you should sleep it off." She said, coming to sit on the bed next to me.
"I'd rather get off with my sexy girlfriend." I said and reached over to run my hand under her shirt, caressing her back. "You smell like strawberries."
She giggled softly. "You always say that… I know you have a thing for strawberries."
I hummed and draped myself over her smaller body. "I have a thing for you."
"Oh yeah?" Her arms wound around me as she continued to laugh.
I smiled at the sound and tucked my face in her neck, taking in the warmth of her body. "Definitely."
"You're not moving much…" She said at my ear and I could feel her smiling.
I couldn't remember if I ever responded, the next thing I knew I had given into the comfort that was Sakura Haruno.
A/N:
We're glad you guys are glad to have us back and trust and believe we are just as happy!
Your reviews make us so excited and we are glad to be able to complete this story, for us and for all you lovely readers. Also this chapter was one of our personal favorites so we hope you liked it!
There's only so many chapters left, so any questions you have send them in to be answered because the updates will continue to come quickly!
Now, to the questions from the last update:
What happened to Sasuke and Itachi's parents?
Tyy: The cause of their death is unmentioned. It's something we've never taken the time to elaborate on.
Kana: Yeah, we never talked about it. I know I could think of something if I took a moment but I tend to be dramatic so it would be best if I didn't, haha.
When will Itachi get a lady in his life?
Tyy: You'll just have to read to the end to find out about that! ;)
Kana: Speaking as Itachi, "That's classified." Like Tyy said, you'll have to read it for this one.
Welp, that's it for this update, can't wait to see your thoughts!
Til next time...
-Kanatyy