Sasuke
To say he was nervous about the situation at hand would be absurd. The king of anxiety was never worry stricken when it came to parties.
Back in the academy he was a living God (no pun intended.)
Sasuke was the boy to see back then. Throngs of women so beautiful and plenty the entire barracks could have two with a bottle of preferred drink to each. Women meant alcohol as far as the others were concerned. But when did the Uchiha ever bring a girl to said party? Naruto wasn't sure he'd ever see the day his partner in crime brought a female to a gathering.
That's why he sat next to the dark boy's Goddess.
"He paid you..." Naruto was the only one dumb enough, though, to voice said opinion.
Ereshkigal
"Naruto..." The painfully shy girl she had come to know as Hinata in the first minute of their excursion. The lavender-eyed beauty pulled her impossibly annoying fiancé away from Sakura's face.
"He's quite right, though," the undercover Goddess chuckled, interlocking her fingers with Sasuke's. "But I really wouldn't share his method of... payment..."
Kiba, the kid with weird spikes not spikes and red triangle facial tattoos, jumped up from the poker table and laughed. "Pretty and funny? No way you didn't drug her."
The rest laughed, ever eager to learn more about the evidentially paid girl.
"Sasuke never ever introduced us to a girl." The blonde loudmouth Ino chimed in. "Let alone speak to one without internally dying." More laughter rose at the blatant discomfort of their socially aloof friend.
"Lay off, Ino." Sasuke grumbled, face going beet red.
"It's a valid statement, Uchiha." Neji mused, hand to chin, nodding. "He has the social skills of a Neanderthal."
"Say that to my face, you femanazi. I'll break that pretty face." He continued to seethe.
"You think I'm pretty? Do you not remember the time we spent in the academy together? You took longer to get ready than all of us."
"At least I don't wash my hair thrice then condition six times over."
Neji growled.
The interaction was so bewildering to the Goddess. This? This was how humans show endearment? How friends showed they loved one another? She did this on a weekly basis at the council, but that didn't mean she had any love for most that were present.
"Watch it Hyuga," Sasuke smirked to the chocolate haired boy. "Need I remind you that you still can't muster up the courage to speak to-"
"Irrelevant!" Neji yelled, she noticed his body temperature signature spiked.
"What?" The boy who looked like Sasuke but with less social skills (if possible) spoke up. "The fact you pin over Ten-Ten-Chan?"
Silence cloaked the room; the awkward feeling nipping at her lover was back.
"Way to go, boyfriend of mine. And you guys wonder why I always have my tongue down his throat." Ino quipped.
"Glossing over... All of that." The girl in question, Ten-Ten looked towards the new girl, smile so warm Sakura could feel it blinding her soul. "Tell us about you, Sakura."
Sasuke
That was the question Sasuke dreaded.
Sure they rehearsed her backstory, but the girl literally couldn't name a single thing they conversed about the night before. And the night before was hell to say the least.
Not that she was willing to work with him. No, that was a luxury not even he earned. The Goddess was just naturally difficult to deal with.
"For the last time, it's Suna. Su-na. Not Sana. Come on Sak." Sasuke groaned out, running tired hands over tired eyes.
"Is that not what I said?" Ereshkigal huffed out while crossing dainty arms over her not so dainty chest.
Sasuke came up with such a brilliant plan. A brilliant plan the Sakura just had to ruin.
They were coming up on two hours of sitting in his room reciting her fake background story. And, sadly, they were no closer to being finished since the start of the two hours.
Sasuke may rip his hair out at this point.
"No. Where are you from?"
"The Mesopotamian Other World."
"No, woman! Focus. Suna."
"Sana."
"No. Say it with me. Su."
"Su."
"Na."
"Na."
"Suna."
"Sana."
"We are getting no where. What is your name?"
"Ereshkigal of the Other World."
Sasuke stood from the chair by his desk to sit next to the frustration girl.
"I do not see why my plan is not sufficient enough."
"I'm not letting you in my brain and thinking answers for you. You can't even pronounce half of these words. Do you even know what a mythologist does? Let alone how to properly say it?"
Sakura pouted, frowning towards her human.
"I've got a better idea."
Sakura sat still a moment, contemplating the validity of his statement. She took this time to prod through the boy's mind.
"Like hell you do. 'Rewards' what do you mean by that? Hm?"
"Out of my brain, firstly. Secondly," Sasuke touched her bare thigh, rubbing small circles with his thumb. He put his lips to her throat and whispered. "You get an answer correct this," A hand moved up her skirt, causing heat to rise to her skin. "Wrong answer?" He then bit her, hard. Although it did not cause bodily harm, it still hurt.
"Like that'll-" He bit down at her sensitive skin, eliciting a yelp.
"What is your name?"
"Eresh-" Another bite. "Sakura Haruno."
"See?" His hand slid up further. "That wasn't so hard. How old are you?"
"Four hu- ow! Sasuke!"
"Earth age."
"Twenty- two or something." The bite was light.
"Leave out the or something. When's your birthday? You may use celestial knowledge."
"March 28th."
"And where are you from?"
"Sa- Ouch! I will end you here and now, boy."
"Say it right."
"Suna?"
"See? Who's a good Goddess? Hm? You are. Yes you are."
"Does one wish to not see another sunrise?"
Sasuke chuckled, a sound she has grown found of. Pulling from her neck, he kissed her full peach lips, taking his right hand to snake through soft hair.
"I do believe I owe you something?"
"You owe me quite a bit of everything, mortal. Finish what you start."
"Else what? You," His hand finally reached where she needed. She was already wet. "Are in no potion to threat dear."
Without incentive, could she really rattle off the story they made up? Maybe she was in his mind now and he could telepathically relay the answers? Or promise to reward her again?
"I just moved here from Suna to hopefully become a mythologist at your university. I am twenty-two. I don't have much family in all honestly, so the move wasn't a bad deal. I was also hoping to get away from the heat, but that has yet to happen."
Oh she was a clever one, that Goddess of his.
"You played me..." He muttered, his voice even.
"And you said I was in no position to threat." She sighed back, "but that's a hard thing to threaten when you have me sit on your-"
"So, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto interrupted before she could finish. But Sasuke knew what she was aiming for. It was her best defense, after all. "How'd you meet Teme?"
Sasuke saw the puzzlement on her gorgeous face. "That's me."
Ereshkigal
Didn't that mean 'bastard' in their language? Why would you ever call a friend that?
"Well, he saved me. Granted it was unwanted, he saved me nonetheless. Some man wanted to know if the pink hair was a true color. Which it is. He's methods of finding out were less than wanted."
"How rude!" Ten-Ten and Ino shouted going into large detail about how some men had no respect.
Sakura took the time to observe the rest. There was a boy with a ponytail lying on another blondes lap, seeming to take a nap. A strange kid with thick eyebrows who did not take his eyes off her. The redhead with glare weaker than Ezraeil's, watched her too, she assumed it was due to the boy she was practically sitting on. There was a chubbier one eating, one with his hood up and sunglasses on. A strange array of people.
But she quite liked them. They fascinated her with their not so friendly love and respect. They all seemed to have some sort of connections only ever seen in dogs. A fierce loyalty and defending personas. Yes, humans were a very interesting bunch, but these humans take the proverbial cake.
Sasuke
"Hey, Princess. Come outside a sec." It had been a successful two hours, but Sasuke knew his friend would want to talk. He was sure he knew of what as well.
Now was the best time due to Sakura's mutual infatuation with Ino. The two were loudly speaking to one another as if they grew up together or were sisters. They even nicknamed each other 'Pig' and 'Billboard Brow'.
"Sure."
Naruto looked anxious, twisting his fingers and fidgeting with the lighter.
"Yo. I get a strange feeling from Sakura-Chan."
"You, or the fox?"
"Both. He and I agreed."
Usually, Sasuke would call him a freak.
The Demon he had seen so long ago was not a topic brought up frequently in their relationship. Occasionally around certain people, Naruto's inner fox would react. It had happened with their coach and Sasuke's uncle. Other than that, they seldom discuss the thing residing in the blond.
Sasuke exhaled the smoke through his nose in a sigh. "Right. Your stomach demon is never wrong."
"He said watch it pretty boy. Anyway, not a bad feeling. More like the one I get from Kakashi."
"More of a reason to ignore it."
"Okay. Just letting you know." Naruto exhaled as well. Casting a glance downward.
Sasuke noticed the forlorn look, feeling bad he was brushing it off.
Although, Sasuke could not simply tell his best friend he was currently seeing a Goddess. It wasn't his secret to tell. And if the stomach fox sensed it, Naruto would find out eventually.
"Thanks." Sasuke gave in hopes to pacify his friends hurt eyes. Both sighed, listening to their friends talk and yell, clink drinks or slam a fist. It was calming to the two.
"Your friends are... intriguing." Sakura mumbled rolling away from him to be on her side.
"Really." Sasuke deadpanned, arms pulling her close to his chest, burring his face in her peach scented hair.
"Yes. Very loud. But... warming."
"I guess. Surely nothing like your friends."
The Goddess pushed back into him, sighing. "No. I keep to myself."
"Oh. Why is that?"
"Sleep."
"I am not tired."
"I'll fight dirty." She rolled to stare at him.
"You better not enchant me."
"Oh... No... I was thinking of. Never mind. Lullaby it is, meus Princeps."
"Oh. You cheater."
The scream jolted the boy awake. Her hair was aflame and pitch eyes searching the room.
"Sakura? Are you okay? Sakura? Ereshkigal!"
She didn't react to him, muttering foreign languages as she stood.
"I- I must go. I-" Then she was gone.
It took him ten minutes to process what happened. But by the time he untangled his thoughts and tried summoning her, it had been another five minutes. That Goddess was an enigma, one he was going to figure out.