askerian: Serious Karkat in a red long-sleeved shirt (T7_Waiting for you)
askerian ([personal profile] askerian) wrote2006-11-12 08:54 pm

(teamwork) chapter 6, part... er. I really need to check that.

Like always, if you see OOC, grammar weirdness, typos and the like, or just don't get what's going on, plz point it out and i'll love you forever.



The bedroom, as it turned out, had a window. And that window, as it turned out, opened just over an air vent for the dojo.

He didn't notice until he had washed most of the ceiling -- from the walls, and oops, but that wallpaper was ugly anyway -- and leaned against the open window's edge, as he tried to figure out how to reach the center of the ceiling without leaving muddy footprints on the damp tiles. But there was really no way he could miss Sakura's faintly muffled, but yet perfectly audible, "So... about that date..."

From that moment on, all thoughts of the dirty ring in the middle of the ceiling where henceforth abandoned.

Alas, for a disappointingly long time, he only heard silence.

"... What?"

'Sasuke, you fucktard,' Naruto thought charitably, 'mess it up and die.' Sakura had to be pretty embarrassed at being caught talking about Sasuke behind his back. So, that she would even ask was something. A kinda big something.

"Well, you know... He was teasing, but -- maybe the idea has some merit, don't you think so?"

Sasuke grunted, or maybe he said something, but he was too far from the vent to hear. Naruto grumbled under his breath.

Sakura chuckled; her voice echoed a little, as if she were facing away from the wall now. "Somehow I don't see you enjoying an evening at the movies or at the karaoke bar all that much, anyway."

"... Heh. Depends on the movie, I guess." A moment of silence. "Research in tandem isn't much of a date, though," Sasuke added reluctantly.

There were a few scrapping sounds -- preparing the walls for paint, maybe? Sasuke dragging the stolen stepladder around? Naruto couldn't tell.

"You know, I used to think that real dates would be being taken out to outrageously expensive restaurants and showered with roses. And then we would go clubbing. And you would say 'you are the woman of my dreams' or 'I don't know how I lived so long without you by my side' every ten minutes, at least."

She chuckled softly; Naruto bit his lip, and imagined the expression that went with that gentle, amused tone. It made him smile, too; a little rueful, but tender above all.

"But I don't even like to dance all that much, and I think if you ever say something so horribly sappy to me, I'll have to check for genjutsu. I mean -- it probably would make me squeak and blush and everything, but I know better now -- it wouldn't be natural for you. You're not really the kind to say things like that, and it isn't fair to expect you to be."

Her voice softened, barely a whisper. Naruto had to strain to hear it.

"But whenever you say something, I know it's the truth. And when you know there's something beyond your ability to figure out and you just expect me to figure it out for you -- I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything."

"Sakura..."

"I mean it, you know. You're really smart, and you just -- you always need to do things on your own, and you ask me anyway, like you don't even need to wonder if perhaps I can't. I just wish you could trust me that much in battle. But I'll train, you'll see. And then -- and then..."

Ack! And then what? Naruto leaned a little more, trying to catch any sound that could clue him in as to what was going on, and ended up sticking to the outside wall desperately as he overbalanced. By the time he managed to scramble back inside the room, there was nothing else to listen to. Whether they were kissing or hugging or ignoring each other in awkward silence, he didn't have a clue. Perhaps they had moved away from the vent.

He probably shouldn't spy on them anyway, shouldn't begrudge their moments alone; but sometimes he got worried. The both of them always over-thought everything, and Sasuke could hurt Sakura-chan all too easily because she always expected so much and he didn't like emotional expectations.

Sometimes Naruto wondered what would happen if Sasuke started to feel for Sakura like Naruto himself did. He would be happy for them, he knew he would; and they would still love him and need him there to be their friend. But he didn't know if he would still be necessary as anything but their friend. There was the child to think of, true, but Naruto didn't like the idea of using him or her as a guarantee. If the kid was his -- well. He could still be a dad without being shacked up with them.

He would miss them, though, now that he knew what it was like to be part of a couple with them.

... Well, a trio. Whatever.

Naruto knew that he was supposed to save as much chakra as he could, just in case, but surely one little Kage Bunshin wouldn't hurt, and they made okay temporary stepladders. He picked up his brush and started scrubbing at the dirty ceiling again. If he got done soon enough, maybe he could check on how well they were doing.

[identity profile] ktoth04.livejournal.com 2006-11-12 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
aaaaah so cuuuuuuuuute :D
and kage bunshin ladder ♥

(Anonymous) 2006-11-12 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Aaagggghh! Actual Teamwork! My eyes are burning! (See the subtile prodding?) And I want so much to know what's happening in that goddamn dojo! Goddamn it Sasuke kiss the woman if only to shut her up! *Wail of unsatisfied longings*

[identity profile] book-people.livejournal.com 2006-11-12 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
XD Hurray for the SasuSaku-ness! But poor Naruto, all the same. They really need to convince him that they're always going to need him, or he's gonna drive himself crazy trying not to wait for the day they don't. If that makes any sense at all...

Anyway, yay Teamwork! I'm looking forward to the actual sealing. Should be really cool. *grins*

Also: "it wouldn't be natural to you." It wouldn't be natural for you, maybe?

Adi

[identity profile] book-people.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
No problem. *grin*
edenfalling: stylized black-and-white line art of a sunset over water (Default)

[personal profile] edenfalling 2006-11-12 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I like that idea, that Sasuke, who doesn't want to rely on anyone, does rely on Sakura for her intelligence. That shows a lot of trust on his part, and if you can't get romance, any emotional closeness is better than none. (I personally think trust is better than romance, but Sakura does seem to want people to tell her they care, instead of just showing it indirectly.)

I feel kind of awkward for Naruto, though -- on the one hand, this is what he wanted them to do, but on the other... he's left out. *pets him*

"And I would never trade the feeling I get when you know there's something beyond your ability to figure out and you just expect me to figure it out for you for anything."

This took me a few seconds to parse; it's not ungrammatical, just a little awkward. Maybe you could switch it to something like this: "And when you know there's something beyond your ability to figure out and you just expect me to figure it out for you -- I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything." That gets rid of the long split between 'trade' and 'for anything' in the original sentence. Or you could just try a comma between 'for you' and 'for anything,' which is still a little awkward but at least breaks the last phrase away from the long description of what causes Sakura's unnamed feeling.

[identity profile] beachlass.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
Oh lovely, and Teamwork=hooray.

Poor Naruto must just want to stuff them in a bed and tell them what to do.

[identity profile] narsksas.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
*smushes Naruto to bosom* Sometimes I just want to molest cuddle him... he's just that dang cute. I always want to comfort him when he starts feeling useless...

Asuka, you deserve molestation cuddles, too, 'cause Teamwork is the greatest.

[identity profile] narsksas.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
XD Out with the cuddles, in with the MOLESTATION OF ASUKA!

Actually, I think it's a group effort on this one. National Molest Asuka Day. Everone joins in, because we're your bitches you're the greatest. Then we'd get some real molestaion action, let me tell you.

Ahaha! Ded!Grandma massacre!

[identity profile] beachlass.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Does "Naruto, don't make me kick you in the face." translate from Uchiha into "Pin me against the wall, NOW, and have your way with me."?

[identity profile] ina-noranaya.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
Aaaw, Naruto. *slaps him for even thinking he wouldn't be needed* And he would want to listen in to Sakura and Sasuke having a personal conversation (That is, Sakura pouring out her soul while Sasuke grunts in acknowledgment). But I can't say I'd blame him. And it's cute how he feels the need to keep an eye on them all the time. Naruto is protective of his teammates, eh?

One grammar thing:
From that moment on, all thoughts of the dirty ring in the middle of the ceiling where heretofore abandoned. Were, not where. And I'm not sure you're allowed to use heretofore like that, but it's a neat word anyway. (Dropping it would keep the meaning and make more sense grammatically, but it wouldn't have quite the same "oomph". And using words like that is fun.)

And I so want in on that Nation Molest Asuka Day.

Poetry project that I'm supposed to be working on? What's that? ^__^



[identity profile] schuldlos85.livejournal.com 2006-11-13 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
aw... i wanna know what happened with sakura and sasuke. were they kissing or just standing and staring/ignoring each other?!

oh naruto - they'll never leave him out! he's a big part of this whole relationship!!! without him everything would crumble!!
i like the way you described his feelings!

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com 2006-11-14 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
*is in favor of the Molest Asuka-sempai*

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com 2006-11-14 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
*chortle*
>:)
Seriously though, you are awesome.