HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Even though I'm, what, 14 days late?? That's okay. Anyway, new chapter *ho shit!?*. Hope you like!! l:E
Naruto and Sakura, much to their dismay, would not be sitting next to Sasuke on the bus. Sasuke, not wanting to sit next to either of them (for fear of molestation or worse), had pre-arranged to sit next to Shikamaru on any upcoming field trips.
Unfortunately, this meant that by the time Naruto and Sakura had found this out, everyone else had also found someone to sit next to. Leaving them only the option of sitting next to each other.
With all the furry someone with pink hair can have, and still be taken seriously, Sakura put great effort into showing her repulsion towards the idea of sitting next to Naruto. Naruto, though he liked Sakura and all, didn't feel to anxious to sit next to her either. She did, after all, clearly detest him to the greatest extreme.
Taking the last seat on the bus, Sakura sat down with a huff on the very back row. Naruto, far enough behind to not be hit by anything, approached with great caution.
"Umm…. Sakura… chan?" Naruto asked in a timid voice. The boy seemed much smaller than his loud-voiced self usually seemed… most likely a result of the steam that seemed to be rising above Sakura.
The girl turned her head so slowly, it was almost painful to watch.
"What?" she hissed through clenched teeth.
"Umm… Well. This is, er, the last seat… Uhh" Naruto barely managed to stutter.
"Well, OUT WITH IT!?" shrieked Sakura.
"THIS-IS-THE-LAST-SEAT-SO-CAN-I-PLEASE-SIT-NEXT-TO-YOU?" asked Naruto, wincing away from the demonic furry that had possessed his classmate.
With a shaky breath, Sakura forced herself to calm down. It was just Naruto. He hadn't done anything to make her mad… yet. She was mostly just upset that she couldn't sit next to Sasuke.
"Sure." Muttered the girl, turning to look out the bus window. Naruto looked up and gave an ecstatic grin. He lifted his backpack onto his lap as he slid onto the seat, drawing a cringe from Sakura, who gave her best effort to keep as much space between them as possible.
Naruto noticed her sighs and couldn't help but hear the growling that she did when he wasn't at least halfway falling off the seat. He gave her a sideways glance, curiously, and she noticed him out of the corner of her eye.
"Could you stop staring at me?" she asked, with absolutely no energy. Naruto immediately stiffened and looked forward, mumbling an apology.
"Sakura chan, could I ask you a question?" asked Naruto. The unusual lack of stupidity in his tone drew a glance from Sakura, who saw he was sort of spacing out, or at least she couldn't think of another reason for him to look so serious.
"Fine. What?" asked Sakura, reluctantly.
"Why do you hate me?" As he asked this, Naruto turned to look at Sakura with serious eyes. She had expected something idiotic or involving him making a pass at her, so it drew a flush in her cheeks and she sat a little straighter.
"I-I don't know w-what your talking about!" she said defensively, but unsure. He had successfully caught her off guard.
"Yes. Yes you do," said Naruto. The blonde boy turned and rested his forehead against the seat in front of him, letting out an exasperated noise.
Sakura, shocked at the sudden display of maturity, just stared at Naruto for a couple of seconds, gaping. If you were to ask her later, she would assure you that her face had turned a few shades redder, as she realized why he was asking this of her. After all, she did treat him like crap, but it was always because of the constant annoyance he was, and his lack of the ability to show any trace of intelligence.
She watched in silence as the boy ran one hand through his bleach-blonde hair. "Well, Can't you at least give me an answer?" he demanded. Sakura let out a shaky breath, but for a different reason than she had earlier. This was not annoying. This was not lack of intelligence. Sakura had a distant thought that maybe there was more to Naruto than she had thought.
"I, I'm sorry Naruto. I- I never thought…"
"DAMMIT THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER!" Naruto said, now angry, slamming a fist into the seat in front of him. "Maybe I'm not the smartest person, and maybe I can be annoying. But ever since we were kids, all I've ever wanted from you was some sort of recognition! I've always admired you! It doesn't even have to have anything to do with love or dating or crap like that. But you, ever since we were kids, have always treated me like dirt." Naruto, who had been staring at the seat, looked up at Sakura now. She met his eyes, but had to look away from the intensity of his gaze. He was right, and she felt ashamed.
"However," he said, the startling calmness of his voice re-attracting Sakura's eyes, "It was probably my fault for never saying that. I've always come at you trying to get you to be my girlfriend or something, because I couldn't think of doing anything else." Naruto chuckled at the thought, bringing a sparkle to his blue eyes. He re-focused back on Sakura and leaned in close, whispering, "So let me start over. Hey, I'm Naruto. Let's be friends".
Sakura, not sure what to do about this new Naruto, noticed the hand he had stuck out towards her. Carefully, she grasped it and shook hands, widening Naruto's smile.
"AHH! That felt good." Naruto said, letting out a breath of air, and put his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the bus seat.
Sakura, hand still hanging in the air, gave Naruto a suspicious look. The boy, noticing her from the corner of his eye, gave her a sideways grin and a wink, causing her to get a grip on herself and sit up properly.
"You seem… different," said Sakura, not sure how to make things less awkward.
Naruto looked down on her with curiosity written on his face. "Really? I don't feel different".
Sakura, forgetting awkwardness, leaned forward and focused on Naruto. "Has anything happened recently?"
Naruto thought for a moment then formed an O with his mouth as he had a flash on kissing Sasuke. He quickly diverted his eyes from Sakura's interrogating gaze, but a blush gave him away.
Sakura, noticing the obvious, sat up straighter, and smiled slyly. "So something DID happen! Does it involve a girl?"
Naruto turned to face his body toward her in his seat and started, "No! Listen nothing…" but never finished as the bus roared to life and jerked forward, causing Sakura to fall back against the window and Naruto to loose his grip on the seat. The boy, saving their faces from collision by a last grab for the fake leather upholstery, could not stop himself in time to prevent his lips from meeting Sakura's.
The two sat motionless for what seemed like an eternity, with Naruto's lips pressed to Sakura's, before Naruto pulled off first and, realizing he was on top of Sakura, scrambled to the other side of the seat. Naruto held up his hands, attempting to seem harmless, and frantically spewed apologies, but the girl, who had stayed frozen only a moment longer, was violet with rage, as she began to shake.
Naruto had time to let out a meager "Oh god" before Sakura shrieked and came at him, delivering a full-blown punch to the face. Naruto fell back, dizzy from the impact, only to be lifted from the bus floor by his jacket by Sakura, drawing the attention of the rest of the bus.
"UZUMAKI! You LECHER! I CANNOT believe that even YOU would sink so low as to do that!" she screamed, causing Naruto to go a bit pale.
"Sakura chan, really, It was an accident! The bus started and.."
"That's IT! You are SOOOO not sitting next to me" she yelled, and threw Naruto further down the aisle.
Ino rolled her eyes and stood up, walked down the isle, and told Naruto to take her seat next to Hinata as she slid in next to the enraged Sakura.
Naruto held a hand over his swollen eye as he somberly trudged toward the row Hinata was sitting in. A few of the guys patted his shoulder in sympathy.
Naruto sat down and mumbled a weak "Hey" to Hinata, who just blushed and looked away.
Note: This is NOT a NaruxSaku. PLEASE do not hate spam me about Sakura because this really is just my way of getting to the next chapter, Naruto and Sakura will NOT end up together. THNX FOR READIN. HOPE YOU LIKE...