~Chapter 2: Friends…?~
Sakura and Ino were in the kitchen, leaning against the countertop as they talked.
"Sakura, are you sure about him…? Is he safe to keep around…?" Ino asked, resting her foot on the cupboard across from them.
"No, I don't know. I mean, beyond the fact that he broke into my house, he hasn't done anything wrong. And the weather's too bad to send him off into the streets…"
"That's true…"
They sat in silence for a moment before Sakura decided, "I'm going to let him stay…"
"Yeah, ok… but I'm staying too! We need to keep a close eye on him. Now, come on, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Ino exclaimed, jumping up and heading for the living room.
"Aha, calm down, Ino. Let him at least take a shower first. Baka…" Sakura responded, adding a laugh at the end.
She loved how her friend could change the conversation's atmosphere so easily.
The two returned to the family room to find Sasuke leaning against the coffee table, half asleep.
Sakura turned to her friend and couldn't resist letting out a small giggle.
They watched him for a moment, only to get caught when he suddenly opened his eyes.
"It's rude to stare, you know…" he said in a teasing voice, adding a laugh when the two girls stuck their tongues out at him at the exact same time.
"Ok then, we're gonna let you go now," Ino stated, untying the boy's hands.
He frowned and looked out the window to see how the weather was.
'Damn it… the rain's got worse… now what am I going to do…?' he thought to himself.
The Uchiha slowly stood up, stretching his arms.
Ino jumped up on the couch and started flipping through the channels on T.V. with the remote.
Sakura smiled at him and took his hand.
"Come on, I think you would really like a shower, am I right?" she said as she led him upstairs.
Confused, Sasuke followed her silently.
They stopped in front of the first door to the left and the girl walked in for a moment.
A second later, she returned with a change of clothes, one black shirt and a pair of black pants.
"Here, you can use these for tonight. Do you have a good set of clothes for tomorrow?"
She led him to the bathroom, opening the door and turning on the light.
She put the clothing down next to the sink.
"Um, uh…" Sasuke tried to answer, but wasn't sure what to say.
Sakura stared for a moment before she smiled at him again.
"Is that a no?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He nodded.
"Ok, I'll see what I can do. Now, you can undress while I get you a towel."
Sakura tried to pass by the boy, but he grabbed her hand just before she closed the door behind her.
"Wait, but I thought you were going to kick me out…?" he asked, completely confused.
"Huh? Where'd you get an idea like that?" Sakura asked, also puzzled now.
"Well, your friend said…?"
"Oh! Nah, ignore her. She was just being weird."
Soon, the girl was gone and the door was closed.
Sasuke let a deep blush show through and stood there for a moment before he moved to unzip his jacket.
He took it and his shirt off, and was starting to take off his pants.
"Hey Sasuke, I got you that towel, so-"
Said boy's face went straight red when he saw Sakura standing in the doorway.
She immediately turned away from him, her face also red.
"I-I-I'm so sorry… I-I-I should've… kn-knocked…" she stuttered, hugging the towel in her hands.
"I-It's…" Sasuke tried to say, but he quickly cleared his throat, "It's ok; you just surprised me…"
"Y-yeah… um… can I turn around…?"
"Y-yeah…"
The girl slowly turned to face him.
Both still had small blushes left, and Sasuke folded his arms for comfort.
"I-I… got you a towel…" she added quietly as she put the cloth next to the since with the clothes, "Um… everything… should be available, but if you need anything… just… y-yell, we'll be downstairs…"
Sasuke nodded and watched her once again leave the bathroom when he realized something.
"W-wait! Wait a minute…" he yelled out to her.
She looked back at him.
"Y-you… you never told me… w-what your name is…"
Sakura paused for a moment before noticing he was right.
"Aha…" she started nervously, scratching the side of her head, "That's true; I didn't tell you. My name… is Sakura Haruno…"
"Sakura…?"
"Y-yeah…?"
He smiled nicely.
"That's a pretty name. It suits you…"
At this compliment, the girl's blush returned and quickly stuttered out, "I-I-I'll l-leave you t-to… t-take a sh-shower then…" before she closed the door.
Sakura stood next to the door for a minute, trying to calm herself down a bit.
Finally, she walked to her room, grabbed Sasuke's backpack, and went back to the living room.
Sasuke, too, stood in the middle of the bathroom, moderately freaking out about what he just said.
That was the first time he had talked to a girl; like that, at least.
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and got into the bath.
Downstairs, Sakura sat down next to Ino, opening his backpack and looking through his things.
Her friend raised an eyebrow at her.
"What 'cha got there?" she asked as she sat up to get a better view.
"Sasuke's backpack. I just wanted to see what he's got in here…" she mumbled.
The girl pulled out a shirt and pants, both black.
"Aha! He lied…"
"Who are you talking about…?" Ino asked, confused.
"Oh, that guy, his name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."
"Right…"
Sakura noticed how dirty the clothes were and held them up.
"Geez, these are all ripped up… I'm going to put these in the wash…"
She stood up and headed upstairs.
"Hey, can I make some popcorn?" Ino yelled up at her.
"Go for it!" she yelled back.
Quietly, Sakura opened the bathroom door and, hearing the water still running, grabbed Sasuke's dirty clothes.
She went to the laundry room conveniently located next to the bathroom and put the clothing into the washer.
After getting it going, the girl pulled a sewing kit down from the shelf.
'I should probably fix them later…' she thought vaguely as she returned to the staircase once more.
Ino had left the T.V. on and she could hear popping coming from the kitchen.
The Haruno rolled her eyes.
'Of course…'
"Ino, you pig!" she purposely yelled as she walked in.
"Whaaat? You said I could!" her friend whined, sticking her tongue out at her.
They laughed and went to go sit down on the couch.
A few moments later, Sasuke walked in, rubbing his hair with the towel.
"Wow, it's been way too long since I last had a shower," he stated as he sat down next to Sakura.
"Aha! WOW! I can actually tell what color your hair is now!" Sakura exclaimed sarcastically.
She messed with his hair jokingly.
"Yeah, who would've guess your skin's so white…" Ino added, getting another laugh from the others.
Right in the middle of their jokes, Sasuke's stomach growled.
"Eh! Your popcorn is making me hungry!" the Uchiha said, putting a hand on his stomach.
Sakura started to say, "Come on, I'll get you something to eat-" when Ino jumped up.
"Oi, let me take care of the little bastard. You can sit here and enjoy the movie with the popcorn!" the friend exclaimed as she put the bowl of buttery goodness in the other girl's lap.
She latched onto Sasuke's collar and led the stumbling boy into the kitchen, saying, "Come along, my puppy!" in a strange voice.
Sakura was heard laughing, and Sasuke also let out a chuckle.
When they got to the kitchen, Ino finally let go.
"Ok now! What 'cha wanna eat?" she asked, opening up the fridge.
Sasuke shrugged and stood behind her.
"I don't know, whatever's available…" he said briefly.
Ino paused for a moment before pulling out a plate with a few onigiri (rice balls).
"Oooo… haven't had those in a while…"
She also took out a bento (boxed lunch).
"There ya go. Have fun with that," she stated plainly, grabbing an apple for herself.
The Uchiha shrugged and started walking away when Ino gripped his arm.
Sasuke stared back at her, waiting for something to be said.
They stood for a few awkward minutes before Ino finally whispered, "Don't take advantage of her, ok?"
They stood a little longer.
She continued, "Sakura has a big heart, and she always wants to see people happy. That's she's letting you spend the night… she feels bad for you… so if you use her… in any way, shape or form… I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Sasuke nodded.
"I noticed. She's… really generous, and she's the first person… the first in a long time… who's helped me…"
The two were silent again; the only sound was that of the rain outside.
Ino nodded and, still in a quiet voice, said, "Any who… want some sushi?"
Sasuke paused, but suddenly burst out laughing.
He nodded.
"Yeah, sure! I could use all the food I can get!"
The friend smiled and let go of his arm, taking out a small container of sushi.
She handed it to him and the two walked into the family room, sitting down on the couch.
"Hey there, what 'cha get?" Sakura asked as she put more popcorn in her mouth.
Ino herself was still munching on her apple.
"Sushi, onigiri, and bento," Sasuke answered.
He opened up the bento and took out the chopsticks.
As he separated them, she commented, "Isn't that a bit… much?"
He looked at her quickly, almost in a shocked manner.
"Oh, um, I guess, um…"
Before he could say anything else, Sakura laughed and said, "You much be really hungry! Well, if you're still hungry when you're done, just let us know."
He nodded and started eating.
The three continued watching movies on T.V., eating food, and talking with each other through the night.
_-Two in the Morning: The Family Room-_
The three had fallen asleep on the couch; Ino on the right, Sakura in the middle, and Sasuke on the left.
Slowly, Sakura felt herself wake up and she drowsily opened her eyes.
Finding herself lying down on the couch arm, she sat up and looked around while rubbing her eyes.
However, she found that only Ino was present in the room.
This sent the girl into panic.
The Haruno shot up to her feet and rushed towards the stairs.
Her mind was racing with random thoughts.
'Oh, God! Why? Why is this happening? How am I going to explain this to Mom and Dad? Oh no, oh no…'
Her thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke walked in from the kitchen.
"Sakura? Are you ok…?" he asked, noticing the worried look on her face, "Oi, come into the kitchen so we don't wake up Ino…"
The girl nodded and followed.
Sasuke sat down at the table, where there was a bowl of instant ramen and a mug of tea.
The Haruno sat down next to him, still trying to calm down.
"Do you want some tea? There should be a bit left…"
Sakura simply nodded, and waited patiently as he brought her a mug and poured out the tea.
Afterwards, they sat in silence.
"Um, sorry about that… I woke up to use the restroom… and I couldn't get back to sleep… because, well… I was hungry…" he explained quietly.
Sakura watched as a small blush appeared on his face.
She let out a giggle.
"Aw, you're blushing!" she stated, patting his head.
The blush quickly deepened.
"Well, don't worry about it; just a bunch of bad timing, that's all."
Sasuke nodded and grabbed his chopsticks.
The two were again in silence for a few minutes, drinking their tea and eating noodles.
Slowly, Sakura's curiosity got the better of her.
"Hey Sasuke, um… if it's not too much to ask… can you tell me about your family…? You don't have to tell me about the accident… just… what were they like?" she asked in a shy way.
The Uchiha, with a mouthful full of ramen, looked up, confused.
He mumbled, "Fwahm?"
The girl laughed loudly, but quickly covered her mouth.
Slowly, he managed to swallow the food, and then asked, "Tell you about my family…?"
Sakura nodded, and added, "If it's not too much of a bother…"
The boy shrugged, and began his story.
"It's not a bother at all. First of all, my father was a policeman, and my mother was a pharmacist. And the 'accident'… well, it was a fire. In the middle of the night, some people wanted to get back at the police for busting their drug ring, and my family was just unlucky. When I woke up, everything was on fire. I grabbed what I could, put it in my backpack, and headed for my parents' room. I could hear them yelling, but I couldn't get the door open, so they told me that… that…"
Sakura listen respectfully and saw how he gazed at the wall across from him.
Quietly, she asked, "What did they say…?"
Sasuke took a deep breath and continued, "They said that the reason the door wouldn't open wasn't because I was too small and weak to open it. It was because it was time for them to go. It wasn't my fault, and I needed to get out of the house. So I did.. I left them there, and looked for my brother. When I found him, we ran out together, but I passed out from breathing in too much smoke. I woke up on the way to the hospital and, in a panic, ran away…"
They sat there and Sakura let a few tears roll down her face.
"What happen to your brother…?"
"Oh… Itachi… I don't know… by now, he'd be in college, but I' not even sure he's still alive… But a few years ago, I overheard some people talking, and they were saying a 'pretty hot college student,' was looking for his little brother who went missing… I never found out who this guy was, or even what he looked like…"
Sakura frowned at this.
"Well… Do you have a picture of him…? Maybe I'd be ale to recognize him…" she asked politely.
"Oh, yeah, in my backpack… where is it…? Hmm…"
"Oh! In the living room, I'll go get it for you," Sakura offered as she stood up.
The girl tiptoed passed the still-sleeping Ino and grabbed Sasuke's backpack from the table.
When she returned to the kitchen, she handed it to him, adding a "Here ya go," as she sat back down.
"Thank you," he responded as he pushed the dirty dishes aside and pulled out one by one the contents.
There were a few nails, hair ties, a pair of scissors, a few books two notebooks and a bunch of pens and pencils.
At first, Sakura was silent, but as each new item became that much stranger, the more she wanted to ask about them.
Finally, she cracked.
"What's all this other random stuff for?" the girl asked just as Sasuke pulled out a picture frame.
The Uchiha grinned, handing her the photograph.
"I'll explain in a minute. For now, here's a picture of my family. I'm sure you can figure out who's who at this point, right?"
Sakura nodded and stuck her tongue out at him.
She took it.
"Ooo, wowww!" she started in a sarcastic voice, "Your bro is definitely HOT! H.O.T.! HOT! He's smokin'; looks like I'm gonna have 'ta let 'cha go now, Sasu-chan, you're not 'man' enough for me!"
"Aha! Very funny, Sakura. I was only eight anyway," he responded, pointing to the picture, "Itachi was probably… oh… fifteen or so in this one…"
"Heh, well, I'm joking. You're not so bad yourself; you're just SO CUTE!"
She pinched Sasuke's cheek.
"Ha ha, you can stop that now…"
Sakura smiled evilly and put the picture frame down, resting her chin on her hands.
"So what's the deal with the rest of the stuff?"
"Ok, WELL! When you're on the streets, you learn something quick; everything can be used."
He held up a hair tie.
"To you, this may be just another hair tie. But to me, if I aim it just right, I can get an attacker right in the eye."
Sakura raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, so he went on.
The boy picked up the nail.
"What is this?"
"It's a nail," she said plainly.
"Right. And what do you think I can do with this nail?"
"Um, I don't know… stab someone's leg with it?"
"Hm, this is true, I could do that…" he agreed, putting down the nail as he rubbed his chin, "BUT… how do you think I got into your house? And through a window that was locked…?"
Sakura raised her eyebrows.
"You pick-locked my window open with a nail? Seriously?"
"Yep, Not too bad, eh?"
"Not bad at all."
They stopped talking for a few moments.
Sakura fingered some of the things on the table, trying to imagine what it would be like to live in an alleyway for years…
"I think we should get some sleep…" the boy mumbled as he put his stuff back in his bag.
"Yeah… you're right," she responded.
She took the dishes and put them in the sink.
Sasuke left his backpack on the chair and the pair walked back into the living room quietly.
Ino was still fast asleep.
They both sat down awkwardly and tried to sleep, but failed miserably.
Slowly, the boy scooted closer to her and cautiously pulled her closer to him by her shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around her in an unusual hug, feeling her shake with nervousness.
"Hey, Sakura?" Sasuke mumbled into her ear.
Said girl twitched and shifted in his arms.
"Yeah?"
"Can you tell me about your family?" asked the Uchiha timidly.
"Ok, sure, what do you want to know?"
"Hmm…" he started, twirling a strand of her hair, "What about your parents? What do they do for a living?"
"Oh, they own a clinic just down the street on the main road. It's kinda like a… half pharmacy, half doctor's office."
"Hmm… what are they like…?"
"They're pretty cool… They're usually pretty busy with work and stuff, but I don't complain. Tonight they went to a family friend's house. They do this every Friday night; go out with other busy married couples and party all night long, etc. etc. They're always back by morning though, so at least they enjoy themselves."
"Ok, what about other relatives? Uncles, aunts, cousins?"
"Well, I tell ya, everyone in my family has this problem with their kids getting boyfriends or girlfriends. My dad isn't as strict as the others, but he always questions when I'm talking to a guy. It's weird."
Sasuke let out a small laugh.
He asked, "What would they think about our position now?"
Sakura suddenly realized how they're shifted in locations; Sasuke still held her in his ars, but they were more like laying down now.
She blushed for a moment before clearing her throat.
"Any and all physical contact with a member of the opposite gender, except for relatives, is strictly prohibited," the girl stated in a nerdy and slightly mechanical voice, getting another chuckle out of Sasuke, "Yeah, my parents would probably ground me for the rest of my pathetic life…"
"Aha, that's too bad then, I guess…" he responded, putting his arm under his head and keeping his other around her, "Well then, what about siblings? Got any brothers or sisters you can tell me about…?"
"Oh yeah, ha, almost forgot, wow. Um, yes, I have an older brother. Two years older…" Sakura whispered, snuggling into the couch arm and closing her eyes.
"Hm, I see… Is he cool? A good older brother…?" he mumbled back as he too started falling asleep.
"Yeah… he's great… but he's got the same ideas like mom 'n… dad… they think all a boyfriend is for is to keep pushing you to 'do it' with him..." the girl said angrily.
She sighed.
"Oh well, I'm not that kind of girl anyway…"
Sasuke smiled and said, "I know… I can tell…"
Being half-asleep, he didn't notice the blush appear on her face.
Slowly, she too closed her eyes and dozed away…
_-In the Morning: Eight AM-_
The Uchiha felt something shift next to him, and the warm presence slowly disappeared.
Sleepily, he opened his eyes and saw the kitchen light on.
Lacking the energy to stand, or move at all, really, he simply cuddled into the blanket that was previously not there and tried to doze off again.
He stretched out his legs, only to find that Ino wasn't there either.
The boy sighed and slowly sat up.
'Guess I'm gonna have to get up… eh… don't wanna…' he thought as he stood and walked to the other room.
Inside, Ino and Sakura sat at the table, the first fully dressed for the day.
"Hey there, Romeo. Good morning!" Ino exclaimed, holding up a mug as if they were about to 'cheers'.
"So you're finally awake, eh?" Sakura added, taking a drink from her own cup.
The boy merely shuffled towards them and took a seat next to the Haruno.
"What? Tired?" Ino asked mockingly.
He yet again didn't respond; he only sat sleepily in his chair, blinking a few times.
Sakura looked at the clock and frowned.
"Hm, I think you're gonna have to go now, or else you might be late…" she stated, her friend nodding in agreement.
She stood.
"Well now, looks like I'm gonna have to leave you two love birds alone now. I'll let myself out," she said simply as she pulled her coat on and grabbed her bag.
"Bye, Ino. See ya Monday," Sakura responded.
"Yup, ta-ta! Behave, you two!" was her final comment before she ran off.
Once the door was heard closing, the girl turned to Sasuke.
"Did you get a good-night's sleep?" she asked timidly in an attempt to start a conversation.
"Yeah… the first in…"
He interrupted himself with a yawn.
"…in a long time…"
"Aha, that's good. Do you want something to eat?" she asked, putting a plate and bowl in front of him, "We have some bread, cheese, cereal, and some onigiri."
Sasuke rubbed his eyes and stated, "A little bit of everything sounds good to me…"
The girl laughed, but started putting food on his plate anyway.
He was reaching for a piece of bread when Sakura noticed small cuts all over his hand; all over his arm, actually.
Puzzled, she figured she might as well ask about them.
"Where did all of those scars come from…?" she asked quietly, taking a sip from her milk.
"Hm? Oh, these… well, what can I say? You can only be so careful and I've had my share of reckless stupidity, and there ya go. I might have lifted a board and gotten a splinter. Got my clothes caught on a nail and ended up getting scratched. It could happen to anyone, but I'm just more likely, since I'm pretty much always in danger of it."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully and the two finished up breakfast in a comfortable silence.
Once the boy finished, he took his plates up to the sink and washed them.
The Haruno, still at the table, watched kindly.
He left the room to get his things together and clean up as much as he could.
Soon, Sakura joined him.
They stood in front of the open door, staring at the muddy and pitiful sight before them.
Sasuke frowned.
'Who knows how I'm going to last…' he thought briefly.
He pulled on his backpack, only to discover it was a bit too easy to do so.
"Ah! Crap! I forgot my jacket… CRAP! I'm sill wearing your brother's clothes!" the Uchiha looked down at himself and exclaimed.
The girl bit her lip and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Eh, don't worry about the clothes," she started, "he won't notice they're gone, and I'll even fix yours up today… and well… I was thinking…"
Sasuke blinked.
"What…?"
"Well, since the weather's really bad and it looks like it's gonna rain again tonight… maybe you could… come back… and spend another night…"
There was an awkward silence, so the teen added, "If Ino can come too, of course… I'm sure she can…"
Sasuke smiled.
"No, I couldn't do that… I've already eaten half your food and everything so… it's ok, I'll be fine, I'm sure…"
He turned to leave, but Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him back a step.
"Wait, no, please, you won't be intruding. I wouldn't be able to sleeping, knowing you're out here suffering. Please? You deserve some…"
She was about to say love, but it would sound too awkward, so she stopped there.
They stood there for a moment before the Uchiha turned to face her again.
"That'd be…" he started, taking another step towards her, "great… Thank you, really. A-and… the moment I become too much for you, just kick me out, ok? You don't have to live with me around, remember that!"
Sakura nodded and smiled sweetly.
He took her hand and grinned happily, making the girl blush deeply.
She felt her head pulled forward and a small kiss placed on her forehead.
"I'll see ya later…" the Uchiha whispered as he pat her head and slowly disappeared down the street.
The girl put her hand on her heart, felt it beat hard, and frowned.
'These butterflies need to go away…' she thought as she closed the door behind her and went to the laundry room upstairs.
The clothes were still in the washer, having dried there overnight.
They were wrinkled, but clean, so the Haruno knew there wouldn't be a problem.
She grabbed the sewing kit and headed for her room.
An hour later, her brother arrived home, the parents coming moments later.
Sakura acted like nothing had happened.
She came downstairs, greeted her returned family, and went to the staircase again, grabbing the blanket on the couch as she went.
Only one goal for this Saturday: fix up Sasuke's clothes and wait for him to come back.