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(teamwork2) chapter 6, scenes 1 and 2
Previous entry has the beginning of this scene. I'm too lazy to edit.
ahem...
11 PAGES TOTAL TODAY BABY.
Sasuke huffed and started down the stairs. Naruto followed, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"Are you still annoyed about the boobs conversation?"
"Only if you start it again."
"Okay, okay. So you're of the 'more than a handful is a waste' school of thought, and I'm with the 'bigger is better' crowd. At least, we can agree on what makes a nice ass, right?"
Sasuke shrugged his arm off and glowered. "What's with you and girls today? Have you forgotten to jerk off for the last month or what?"
"We could talk about boys, but I haven't thought as much about it."
Sasuke actually growled. "Yes, I got it, you're straight as a ruler, I'm just a fluke -- or maybe girly enough for you."
Naruto blinked, startled. "What? No! I just like girls better in general, but it isn't as if you're the only boy I've ever -- guh. Of course you're a boy, I mean you're pretty but that's just your face and you're gonna kill me, aren't you."
Now Sasuke looked put-upon, and tired. Very tired. "... I'm not pretty."
"Uh -- don't worry," he replied as they reached the end of the stairs, "Sakura is still prettier."
Sasuke threw him an unfriendly look, but these came standard and Naruto ignored it. So long as he kept replying, they were still bantering. "Yes, and Sakura also has breasts -- should I grow some to please you, Naruto-sama?"
"Well, you'd look weird with huge knockers, but maybe GACK! I was kidding -- oww, oww!"
Naruto squirmed on the ground, trying to get out of the hold, but Sasuke only put more weight on the foot in the middle of his back and twisted his arm a little farther back.
"Come on, Sasuke, just because I think you'd look nice with tits...!"
"...Ah... Good morning?"
Naruto craned his neck, and grinned up at Sakura. She was watching them, and from there he couldn't tell if she looked more jaded or annoyed, or something else. "Hiya, Sakura-chan!"
"Hello, Naruto... Sasuke-kun."
She gave Sasuke a quick worried look, then smiled. "I didn't think you'd leave so early..."
Huh. Sasuke was looking away from her; it probably bothered him that she still visibly remembered yesterday. Naruto could understand her, though; last she'd seen the bastard, he hadn't been in such a good state. Naruto wasn't sure telling her about their plan in the middle of the street was a good idea -- he wasn't even sure they should tell her at all just yet. What if it didn't work? "Yeah, Sasuke rushed me out. I think he was scared for his onigiri -- oh hey, that reminds me, I gotta buy sandwiches for the road."
"Onigiri?" she repeated in surprise, glancing at Sasuke then at Naruto. Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"Yep! They're not so bad, even if he always makes them with the same kind of fish. But he's not gonna sell them anytime soon," he added, smirking at Sasuke over his shoulder. "They're too ugly."
Sasuke snorted as he followed them. "They're also not for you, idiot."
Sakura looked vaguely disappointed. "Oh."
"You're so selfish!!" Naruto accused, pointing a finger at him.
Sasuke shrugged and looked away briefly. "Never said Sakura couldn't have any."
"What, just me?!"
Sasuke smirked at him. "Yes."
Naruto kept up the banter with Sasuke with the ease of a long habit, glad to see that Sakura was relaxing a little at their ritual exchange of insults. See? He's fine.
Sakura seemed a bit too subdued for his tastes, but then she'd probably spent the night fretting -- also, she faintly smelled like she'd gotten sick not too long ago; it was weak enough that he could have missed it, but she was still a bit too pale, too. He tried not to worry too much; Sasuke would find a way to make his idea work, and then she'd be safe.
In the meantime, he reminded himself that not everyone could eat right after throwing up, and hid the food he'd just bought deep into his bag; she was turning green around the gills.
+
By the time night fell, Naruto had delivered all his messages. Of course, it also meant that he came back last at the hotel; but he didn't care, because tomorrow he would get to do whatever he wanted while the rest of his team finished up. It had been a good idea to take the restaurants and night clubs; gave him longer hours to work with.
Kakashi was chatting quietly over a cup of tea with Sakura in the dining room. Naruto joined them in their secluded corner, slumping heavily on the closest chair.
"Hey. I'm back." He stretched his legs under the table and winced a little as his feet reminded him that they hated his guts. "Bastard not back yet? I thought I was the last..."
Sakura looked away; Naruto blinked.
"He's upstairs," Kakashi replied instead. "We're staying in a six-bed dormitory. So far we're not sharing with anyone, though."
Naruto pouted. "What, no separate rooms? Stingy..."
Kakashi smiled at him with unnerving cheerfulness. "Are you going to do anything that needs a private bedroom as opposed to a simple bed, Naruto?"
Sakura kicked him under the table.
"Ow! Uh. No, guess not." Naruto ruffled his hair, grinning uncomfortably. "What were you talking about?"
Sakura blushed a little, looking away, and Naruto blinked at her. Okay, there was something weird going on there. What would she talk about with Kakashi-sensei that she wouldn't want him to know?
"Nothing important," Kakashi replied smoothly. Naruto scowled, and opened his mouth to protest, but Kakashi beat him to it. "You've been running hard, I see. Go take a shower."
"Hey, what's that mean? I stink?"
Sakura grimaced. "Well, you don't smell of roses. In fact, you smell of -- tobacco?"
"And pot," Kakashi added helpfully, opening his book as if he wasn't concerned.
"Ah, yeah, my last stop was a strip joint."
Sakura leveled a flat glare at him that made him quake in his shoes. "Really."
Naruto gaped at her for a few seconds; caught off-guard by the unexpected possessiveness, he almost forgot he was in trouble. "I didn't watch! Promise. They were all old and ugly anyway -- uh. Gonna take that shower now."
"Yes, you do that."
Naruto couldn't resist; really he couldn't. He paused with his hand on the back of his chair, ready to shove it between them to protect himself, and asked with a wide grin, "Wanna wash my back?"
Of course, taking off running didn't help the state of his feet, but hey! It was better than a fist to the head.
He found the right room somehow, and peeked in; three rows of bunk beds, one of them right in front of the window. Sasuke had taken over the top bed on the left and was sitting cross-legged in the corner, his back to the wall. He glared suspiciously at Naruto over the scroll he was reading, and then, recognizing him, immediately stopped paying attention.
"Yeah, good evening to you too, you jerk," Naruto groused as he dropped his bag on the bed under Sasuke's, and fished out a change of underwear and his bathing stuff. When he exited the room, Sasuke hadn't even moved at all. Naruto shrugged it off; he had more pressing concerns for now.
The shower wasn't as hot as he would have liked, but still warm enough to make him feel better -- though he was really getting tired of being on his feet. He trudged back to the room to put away his stuff, and paused between the bunk beds as he tried to decide; nap, or Sakura and Kakashi? There was a chance he wouldn't wake up until tomorrow...
"Put away that towel," Sasuke ordered from his perch, startling him.
"Huh?"
"The towel. Put it away. And stand on the ladder."
Naruto stared up at his teammate, confused. "What?"
"Towel. Ladder. Now."
... Ookay. Whatever. He spread the towel over the windowsill and climbed the bars to Sasuke's bed, still confused.
"Stop."
Naruto stopped, the mattress pressing against the front of his thighs. Sasuke was staring at his bellybutton, scowling heavily. "Uh, Sasuke?"
"The seal. Make it come out."
...Oh. "You're doing research?" he asked, as he joined his hands to concentrate his chakra. The scroll across Sasuke's lap was covered in scribbles; he tried to read them, but they were upside-down and Sasuke's writing was tiny. Probably in code too.
"Just the groundwork."
Naruto could feel Kyuubi stirring, deep below the surface; so when Sasuke reached for his boxers, he was a bit surprised. "Gyah!" He caught himself on the safety rail, and gaped at the other boy. Sasuke was looking annoyed.
"I can't see the bottom half, stupid."
"Well, you should have asked me instead of diving for my underwear like that!" Naruto grumbled. He balanced himself and tugged his briefs as far down his hips as they could go without falling off or baring more of his body than Sasuke wanted to see at the moment.
"Make it come out again, and this time, don't move," Sasuke ordered absently as he started copying the seal on his scroll.
"Hurry up, my feet hurt," Naruto whined.
The ladder was digging into them uncomfortably. He wanted to nap... Or sit down, at least. But then Sasuke would bitch that the seal was all bunched up.
"You're destroying my ego, you know," he muttered, pretty sure that Sasuke wasn't even listening. "You could at least leer a little."
Sasuke leaned forward and reached out, fingertips brushing against the bottom of the spiral. Naruto's breath hitched in surprise; Sasuke was looking up at him, a faintly mocking air in his eyes.
"If you stand still now, maybe I'll eventually be convinced to lick it."
... oh hell, now in a couple of minutes he would bitch because the tent in Naruto's pants was blocking the view.
"Naruto? Why did you flare your..." Sakura's voice trailed off behind him. "... chakra."
Startled, Naruto lost his balance and jumped off the ladder. Sakura was standing by the door, staring at the both of them.
"Ah, Sakura-chan," he started, and then paused; she was looking at him like he had been stomping on kittens.
"I see," she said calmly. Naruto didn't see; what was going on there?
"... Sakura?"
She clenched her fists, took in a deep breath. "Last call for late dinner, Kakashi-sensei says to come down now or sleep on an empty stomach."
"Wait," he called hurriedly, alarmed by her tone, and looked around for his pants. "Wait, I'm coming with you -- Sakura-chan!"
One foot in his pants, he stared at the closed door, then looked up at Sasuke, taken aback. The other boy was still leaning on his hands on the bed, face empty of expression.
"Sasuke?"
Frowning suddenly, Sasuke sat back and began rolling his scroll with quick, curt movements.
"Sasuke, what's going on?"
"She thought I was about to go down on you," Sasuke replied tersely, and jumped over the railing, the scroll in hand.
"Oh! Well, from the door, maybe it did look that way... But why'd she leave? I mean if it was me catching you two..." ...oh.
He fell silent, dismayed. Sasuke didn't answer, only shaking his head briefly before stalking toward the door. Naruto scurried after him, grabbing a shirt in passing.
She wasn't in the dining room; Kakashi was still at the same table, though he was leaning forward on his elbows. He wasn't reading; Naruto took that as a bad sign.
"What's this I hear about you two being busy?" he asked, smiling genially.
Naruto spluttered; Sasuke cut him off with a quick gesture and glared at their teacher. "We weren't. Where is she?"
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds while Naruto danced with impatience; and then Kakashi nodded slowly. "Bathroom. Don't cause a commotion."
Sasuke nodded sharply and stalked off. Naruto grimaced at Kakashi -- he felt like he should be saying something, he just didn't know what. His teacher just sighed, and waved him off.
The ground floor's girl's bathroom was empty at this hour, but Naruto did get a scandalized look from a middle-aged woman walking by when he slipped inside. Sasuke was standing by the one closed stall, looking quite disgruntled.
"Sakura, get out of there."
There was no reply; for a moment Naruto thought that they'd gotten the wrong person.
"... You shouldn't be in here," she finally replied.
"As if I care. Come out, Sakura."
There was another moment of silence; Naruto gave Sasuke a pleading look and stepped forward to try it, but the other boy stopped him with a curt gesture without even looking at him.
"No," she finally replied.
Sasuke sighed, closed his eyes briefly, and then jumped to catch the top of the stall and pulled himself up. He dropped out of view as Sakura gasped in shock.
"H-hey! What if I'd been--"
Naruto drew closer, listening to the rustle of clothes as they moved around. The stall was narrow enough for one, not to say anything of two; but what stopped him from joining them was that Sasuke hadn't seemed to expect or want his help.
There was more silence; from the shadows under the stall, Naruto assumed that they were standing face to face. Or Sasuke was standing. Or... Gah.
"We weren't, Sakura."
Sasuke's voice was quiet, almost soft. Naruto relaxed a little; he'd been afraid bastard would sound annoyed.
There was even more silence. Damn it. He went to close the bathroom's door quietly, and then sneaked back to the stall. He didn't know what was happening, but he was pretty sure popping up over the wall would blow up the moment like a wad of explosive tags.
Sakura sniffled quietly. The next second, Naruto was on his front on the floor. He could only see up to their knees without being seen himself; it was enough to understand that she was leaning against his chest. Hugging? Aw. Now he was torn between wanting to see and tiptoeing away.
"...Sorry, I'm sorry, I just--"
Sasuke didn't say anything, but he leaned against the door; Naruto saw her step forward hesitantly to stand between his legs.
Well, he thought to himself as he rolled away to sit up. Well. Maybe they'd be fine without him. Besides, the stall was really too narrow for three of them.
"What were you doing then?" she asked quietly. It sounded a bit muffled; she probably had her face pressed against Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke sighed. "Do you trust me?"
Naruto blinked, and opened his mouth to protest. He wasn't going to tell her? Not mentioning it just yet was one thing, but deliberately refusing to say...
Sakura sounded a little hurt as she replied, "You know I do."
"Then please, wait a little longer." Sasuke's voice was so soft, so quiet, Naruto had to strain to hear him.
More silence; Naruto imagined that she was probably giving Sasuke a hurt look.
"...Fine. But you'll tell me eventually? Because if it wasn't... that, and yet it was still something..."
Sasuke shushed her. "Later, Sakura."
There was more silence; Naruto sat up against the wall, uncomfortable. Perhaps he ought to go back to Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke knew he was there, but Sakura probably didn't, and the idea of spying on them didn't sit well with him.
"I'm tired of living at Ino's. Yesterday -- I should have come back with you." She sniffled; the next words came out muffled again. "I feel out of the loop and I miss you two -- and you're cooking and chatting and I'm not there. I'm jealous..."
"I don't cook all that well or all that often, and Naruto can only do ramen," Sasuke replied, sounding embarrassed. "And basically it's just a lot of arguments about socks and boxers and music too loud and who has dibs on the bathroom."
"But it's the way you two relate. And I miss that. I mean, Ino is great, and it's been fun -- like a long sleepover... but..."
"... Do you want to move in with us? It's going to be cramped, but we'll find something."
"I don't know if it's a very practical idea, I mean -- I mean..." she sounded like she was trying not to cry. Naruto bit his lip, hard. "...Yes. Yes, I really want to."
Silence -- a kiss, soft and short.
"Alright."
Naruto tiptoed out of the bathroom. He'd intruded enough for tonight.
+
Not sure if the scene is finished, but I can't write even one more line tonight. This scene killed me; it went from two lines of vague notes into a full-blown decor+dialogues. At least until the bathroom part; then i was flying blind. Not sure Sakura is entirely IC, and man it's hard to describe what she feels through Naruto's filter, but. HORMONES FTW. shush.
ahem...
11 PAGES TOTAL TODAY BABY.
Sasuke huffed and started down the stairs. Naruto followed, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"Are you still annoyed about the boobs conversation?"
"Only if you start it again."
"Okay, okay. So you're of the 'more than a handful is a waste' school of thought, and I'm with the 'bigger is better' crowd. At least, we can agree on what makes a nice ass, right?"
Sasuke shrugged his arm off and glowered. "What's with you and girls today? Have you forgotten to jerk off for the last month or what?"
"We could talk about boys, but I haven't thought as much about it."
Sasuke actually growled. "Yes, I got it, you're straight as a ruler, I'm just a fluke -- or maybe girly enough for you."
Naruto blinked, startled. "What? No! I just like girls better in general, but it isn't as if you're the only boy I've ever -- guh. Of course you're a boy, I mean you're pretty but that's just your face and you're gonna kill me, aren't you."
Now Sasuke looked put-upon, and tired. Very tired. "... I'm not pretty."
"Uh -- don't worry," he replied as they reached the end of the stairs, "Sakura is still prettier."
Sasuke threw him an unfriendly look, but these came standard and Naruto ignored it. So long as he kept replying, they were still bantering. "Yes, and Sakura also has breasts -- should I grow some to please you, Naruto-sama?"
"Well, you'd look weird with huge knockers, but maybe GACK! I was kidding -- oww, oww!"
Naruto squirmed on the ground, trying to get out of the hold, but Sasuke only put more weight on the foot in the middle of his back and twisted his arm a little farther back.
"Come on, Sasuke, just because I think you'd look nice with tits...!"
"...Ah... Good morning?"
Naruto craned his neck, and grinned up at Sakura. She was watching them, and from there he couldn't tell if she looked more jaded or annoyed, or something else. "Hiya, Sakura-chan!"
"Hello, Naruto... Sasuke-kun."
She gave Sasuke a quick worried look, then smiled. "I didn't think you'd leave so early..."
Huh. Sasuke was looking away from her; it probably bothered him that she still visibly remembered yesterday. Naruto could understand her, though; last she'd seen the bastard, he hadn't been in such a good state. Naruto wasn't sure telling her about their plan in the middle of the street was a good idea -- he wasn't even sure they should tell her at all just yet. What if it didn't work? "Yeah, Sasuke rushed me out. I think he was scared for his onigiri -- oh hey, that reminds me, I gotta buy sandwiches for the road."
"Onigiri?" she repeated in surprise, glancing at Sasuke then at Naruto. Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"Yep! They're not so bad, even if he always makes them with the same kind of fish. But he's not gonna sell them anytime soon," he added, smirking at Sasuke over his shoulder. "They're too ugly."
Sasuke snorted as he followed them. "They're also not for you, idiot."
Sakura looked vaguely disappointed. "Oh."
"You're so selfish!!" Naruto accused, pointing a finger at him.
Sasuke shrugged and looked away briefly. "Never said Sakura couldn't have any."
"What, just me?!"
Sasuke smirked at him. "Yes."
Naruto kept up the banter with Sasuke with the ease of a long habit, glad to see that Sakura was relaxing a little at their ritual exchange of insults. See? He's fine.
Sakura seemed a bit too subdued for his tastes, but then she'd probably spent the night fretting -- also, she faintly smelled like she'd gotten sick not too long ago; it was weak enough that he could have missed it, but she was still a bit too pale, too. He tried not to worry too much; Sasuke would find a way to make his idea work, and then she'd be safe.
In the meantime, he reminded himself that not everyone could eat right after throwing up, and hid the food he'd just bought deep into his bag; she was turning green around the gills.
+
By the time night fell, Naruto had delivered all his messages. Of course, it also meant that he came back last at the hotel; but he didn't care, because tomorrow he would get to do whatever he wanted while the rest of his team finished up. It had been a good idea to take the restaurants and night clubs; gave him longer hours to work with.
Kakashi was chatting quietly over a cup of tea with Sakura in the dining room. Naruto joined them in their secluded corner, slumping heavily on the closest chair.
"Hey. I'm back." He stretched his legs under the table and winced a little as his feet reminded him that they hated his guts. "Bastard not back yet? I thought I was the last..."
Sakura looked away; Naruto blinked.
"He's upstairs," Kakashi replied instead. "We're staying in a six-bed dormitory. So far we're not sharing with anyone, though."
Naruto pouted. "What, no separate rooms? Stingy..."
Kakashi smiled at him with unnerving cheerfulness. "Are you going to do anything that needs a private bedroom as opposed to a simple bed, Naruto?"
Sakura kicked him under the table.
"Ow! Uh. No, guess not." Naruto ruffled his hair, grinning uncomfortably. "What were you talking about?"
Sakura blushed a little, looking away, and Naruto blinked at her. Okay, there was something weird going on there. What would she talk about with Kakashi-sensei that she wouldn't want him to know?
"Nothing important," Kakashi replied smoothly. Naruto scowled, and opened his mouth to protest, but Kakashi beat him to it. "You've been running hard, I see. Go take a shower."
"Hey, what's that mean? I stink?"
Sakura grimaced. "Well, you don't smell of roses. In fact, you smell of -- tobacco?"
"And pot," Kakashi added helpfully, opening his book as if he wasn't concerned.
"Ah, yeah, my last stop was a strip joint."
Sakura leveled a flat glare at him that made him quake in his shoes. "Really."
Naruto gaped at her for a few seconds; caught off-guard by the unexpected possessiveness, he almost forgot he was in trouble. "I didn't watch! Promise. They were all old and ugly anyway -- uh. Gonna take that shower now."
"Yes, you do that."
Naruto couldn't resist; really he couldn't. He paused with his hand on the back of his chair, ready to shove it between them to protect himself, and asked with a wide grin, "Wanna wash my back?"
Of course, taking off running didn't help the state of his feet, but hey! It was better than a fist to the head.
He found the right room somehow, and peeked in; three rows of bunk beds, one of them right in front of the window. Sasuke had taken over the top bed on the left and was sitting cross-legged in the corner, his back to the wall. He glared suspiciously at Naruto over the scroll he was reading, and then, recognizing him, immediately stopped paying attention.
"Yeah, good evening to you too, you jerk," Naruto groused as he dropped his bag on the bed under Sasuke's, and fished out a change of underwear and his bathing stuff. When he exited the room, Sasuke hadn't even moved at all. Naruto shrugged it off; he had more pressing concerns for now.
The shower wasn't as hot as he would have liked, but still warm enough to make him feel better -- though he was really getting tired of being on his feet. He trudged back to the room to put away his stuff, and paused between the bunk beds as he tried to decide; nap, or Sakura and Kakashi? There was a chance he wouldn't wake up until tomorrow...
"Put away that towel," Sasuke ordered from his perch, startling him.
"Huh?"
"The towel. Put it away. And stand on the ladder."
Naruto stared up at his teammate, confused. "What?"
"Towel. Ladder. Now."
... Ookay. Whatever. He spread the towel over the windowsill and climbed the bars to Sasuke's bed, still confused.
"Stop."
Naruto stopped, the mattress pressing against the front of his thighs. Sasuke was staring at his bellybutton, scowling heavily. "Uh, Sasuke?"
"The seal. Make it come out."
...Oh. "You're doing research?" he asked, as he joined his hands to concentrate his chakra. The scroll across Sasuke's lap was covered in scribbles; he tried to read them, but they were upside-down and Sasuke's writing was tiny. Probably in code too.
"Just the groundwork."
Naruto could feel Kyuubi stirring, deep below the surface; so when Sasuke reached for his boxers, he was a bit surprised. "Gyah!" He caught himself on the safety rail, and gaped at the other boy. Sasuke was looking annoyed.
"I can't see the bottom half, stupid."
"Well, you should have asked me instead of diving for my underwear like that!" Naruto grumbled. He balanced himself and tugged his briefs as far down his hips as they could go without falling off or baring more of his body than Sasuke wanted to see at the moment.
"Make it come out again, and this time, don't move," Sasuke ordered absently as he started copying the seal on his scroll.
"Hurry up, my feet hurt," Naruto whined.
The ladder was digging into them uncomfortably. He wanted to nap... Or sit down, at least. But then Sasuke would bitch that the seal was all bunched up.
"You're destroying my ego, you know," he muttered, pretty sure that Sasuke wasn't even listening. "You could at least leer a little."
Sasuke leaned forward and reached out, fingertips brushing against the bottom of the spiral. Naruto's breath hitched in surprise; Sasuke was looking up at him, a faintly mocking air in his eyes.
"If you stand still now, maybe I'll eventually be convinced to lick it."
... oh hell, now in a couple of minutes he would bitch because the tent in Naruto's pants was blocking the view.
"Naruto? Why did you flare your..." Sakura's voice trailed off behind him. "... chakra."
Startled, Naruto lost his balance and jumped off the ladder. Sakura was standing by the door, staring at the both of them.
"Ah, Sakura-chan," he started, and then paused; she was looking at him like he had been stomping on kittens.
"I see," she said calmly. Naruto didn't see; what was going on there?
"... Sakura?"
She clenched her fists, took in a deep breath. "Last call for late dinner, Kakashi-sensei says to come down now or sleep on an empty stomach."
"Wait," he called hurriedly, alarmed by her tone, and looked around for his pants. "Wait, I'm coming with you -- Sakura-chan!"
One foot in his pants, he stared at the closed door, then looked up at Sasuke, taken aback. The other boy was still leaning on his hands on the bed, face empty of expression.
"Sasuke?"
Frowning suddenly, Sasuke sat back and began rolling his scroll with quick, curt movements.
"Sasuke, what's going on?"
"She thought I was about to go down on you," Sasuke replied tersely, and jumped over the railing, the scroll in hand.
"Oh! Well, from the door, maybe it did look that way... But why'd she leave? I mean if it was me catching you two..." ...oh.
He fell silent, dismayed. Sasuke didn't answer, only shaking his head briefly before stalking toward the door. Naruto scurried after him, grabbing a shirt in passing.
She wasn't in the dining room; Kakashi was still at the same table, though he was leaning forward on his elbows. He wasn't reading; Naruto took that as a bad sign.
"What's this I hear about you two being busy?" he asked, smiling genially.
Naruto spluttered; Sasuke cut him off with a quick gesture and glared at their teacher. "We weren't. Where is she?"
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds while Naruto danced with impatience; and then Kakashi nodded slowly. "Bathroom. Don't cause a commotion."
Sasuke nodded sharply and stalked off. Naruto grimaced at Kakashi -- he felt like he should be saying something, he just didn't know what. His teacher just sighed, and waved him off.
The ground floor's girl's bathroom was empty at this hour, but Naruto did get a scandalized look from a middle-aged woman walking by when he slipped inside. Sasuke was standing by the one closed stall, looking quite disgruntled.
"Sakura, get out of there."
There was no reply; for a moment Naruto thought that they'd gotten the wrong person.
"... You shouldn't be in here," she finally replied.
"As if I care. Come out, Sakura."
There was another moment of silence; Naruto gave Sasuke a pleading look and stepped forward to try it, but the other boy stopped him with a curt gesture without even looking at him.
"No," she finally replied.
Sasuke sighed, closed his eyes briefly, and then jumped to catch the top of the stall and pulled himself up. He dropped out of view as Sakura gasped in shock.
"H-hey! What if I'd been--"
Naruto drew closer, listening to the rustle of clothes as they moved around. The stall was narrow enough for one, not to say anything of two; but what stopped him from joining them was that Sasuke hadn't seemed to expect or want his help.
There was more silence; from the shadows under the stall, Naruto assumed that they were standing face to face. Or Sasuke was standing. Or... Gah.
"We weren't, Sakura."
Sasuke's voice was quiet, almost soft. Naruto relaxed a little; he'd been afraid bastard would sound annoyed.
There was even more silence. Damn it. He went to close the bathroom's door quietly, and then sneaked back to the stall. He didn't know what was happening, but he was pretty sure popping up over the wall would blow up the moment like a wad of explosive tags.
Sakura sniffled quietly. The next second, Naruto was on his front on the floor. He could only see up to their knees without being seen himself; it was enough to understand that she was leaning against his chest. Hugging? Aw. Now he was torn between wanting to see and tiptoeing away.
"...Sorry, I'm sorry, I just--"
Sasuke didn't say anything, but he leaned against the door; Naruto saw her step forward hesitantly to stand between his legs.
Well, he thought to himself as he rolled away to sit up. Well. Maybe they'd be fine without him. Besides, the stall was really too narrow for three of them.
"What were you doing then?" she asked quietly. It sounded a bit muffled; she probably had her face pressed against Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke sighed. "Do you trust me?"
Naruto blinked, and opened his mouth to protest. He wasn't going to tell her? Not mentioning it just yet was one thing, but deliberately refusing to say...
Sakura sounded a little hurt as she replied, "You know I do."
"Then please, wait a little longer." Sasuke's voice was so soft, so quiet, Naruto had to strain to hear him.
More silence; Naruto imagined that she was probably giving Sasuke a hurt look.
"...Fine. But you'll tell me eventually? Because if it wasn't... that, and yet it was still something..."
Sasuke shushed her. "Later, Sakura."
There was more silence; Naruto sat up against the wall, uncomfortable. Perhaps he ought to go back to Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke knew he was there, but Sakura probably didn't, and the idea of spying on them didn't sit well with him.
"I'm tired of living at Ino's. Yesterday -- I should have come back with you." She sniffled; the next words came out muffled again. "I feel out of the loop and I miss you two -- and you're cooking and chatting and I'm not there. I'm jealous..."
"I don't cook all that well or all that often, and Naruto can only do ramen," Sasuke replied, sounding embarrassed. "And basically it's just a lot of arguments about socks and boxers and music too loud and who has dibs on the bathroom."
"But it's the way you two relate. And I miss that. I mean, Ino is great, and it's been fun -- like a long sleepover... but..."
"... Do you want to move in with us? It's going to be cramped, but we'll find something."
"I don't know if it's a very practical idea, I mean -- I mean..." she sounded like she was trying not to cry. Naruto bit his lip, hard. "...Yes. Yes, I really want to."
Silence -- a kiss, soft and short.
"Alright."
Naruto tiptoed out of the bathroom. He'd intruded enough for tonight.
+
Not sure if the scene is finished, but I can't write even one more line tonight. This scene killed me; it went from two lines of vague notes into a full-blown decor+dialogues. At least until the bathroom part; then i was flying blind. Not sure Sakura is entirely IC, and man it's hard to describe what she feels through Naruto's filter, but. HORMONES FTW. shush.
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