Bitch Nights

A/N: *giggles madly* It’s only been a few hours since I posted my first chapter, and I already have four awesome reviews! You guys are the BEST! I was sooo nervous that no one would like this, but you guys have made me feel so much better, already. My thanks and love to stupefied-narutard, vamp, Tessa and Nicola258! You inspired me to go ahead and type up the rest of what I’d already written.

Don’t get too used to it, though, guys. I still haven’t written most of this. I have one of those muses that’s only around when she wants to be. And I’m a single mom who works at a daycare center. I don’t get a lot of free time. But I can promise to work on it as much as I can!

No lemon as of yet; maybe in the next chapter. I'll have to ask Sakura, who's currently acting as my muse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Two- Fuck Him!


Total silence fell at Sakura’s question. Even the clinking of spoons ceased. She watched the three men exchange a number of glances between them, before apparently electing Kakashi as their spokesman.

“Well, I guess it depends on how you still feel, Sakura,” he replied, licking his spoon. His mask was currently tucked down into his shirt to minimize the tacky turtleneck look. His one eye looked at her solemnly. “Do you still love him?”

Sakura thought back to the shock of the morning. She’d been in Tsunade’s office when Sasuke had been escorted in by a squad of ANBU. Though she wasn’t technically supposed to, she’d recognized Kakashi’s dog mask. Thanks to the recent shortage of veteran ninja (since it wasn’t like they had a good life expectancy, anyway, plus the occasional attack on the village), he’d been required to rejoin the elite squad as a team leader. She’d known he was on-duty that day, since Team Kakashi’s practice had been canceled.

She listened numbly as the questions had begun. He’d come in of his own will. He had ‘wanted to come home.’ No, Uchiha Itachi was still at large. Yes, Orochimaru was still alive. Yes, the Sannin was aware that Sasuke had left. No, his team hadn’t come with him, nor did they plan to come any closer to Konoha than they had to.

And he’d looked at her the whole time he’d stood there.

“Nothing,” she whispered. “I didn’t feel anything at all.” She looked up at the boys, who were all watching her, poker faces in place. “I always thought I’d feel something. Anything. Happy he was home, pissed that he’d left. Sad, maybe? I thought I’d still love him. Isn’t love supposed to be forever?” Tears filled her eyes. “Even now, I only feel bad because I don't feel anything, when I know I should!” Her hand smacked the table, causing the guys to flinch, half-expecting the table to break. Luckily for her furniture budget, she had more control than Tsunade.

“It’s all right, Sakura-chan.” Naruto shifted over to sit beside her. “Maybe you’re just in shock, ne?” He gave her a hopeful smile.

She shook her head, then had another bite of ice cream. “The worst thing was, he kept looking at me. The whole damn time Tsunade was yelling and asking questions, he kept watching me out of the corner of his eye. Like he expected me to do something. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Cry? Run up and try to hug him? Beg Shisou for mercy?” She laughed bitterly. “I just sat there.” She looked at Kakashi. “What would you have done in my place?”

Kakashi reached for the sprinkles and added a few to his sundae-in-the-making. “I don’t know, Sakura. I do know that he recognized me when we showed up to escort him from the village gates. Apparently he just walked up to Genma and Raidou and told them to summon us, because he needed to see the current Hokage.”

“Cocky bastard,” Naruto muttered.

“He’s an Uchiha,” Kakashi replied, as though that should explain it. Which, really, it sort of did. “But the point is, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything either. Even though I can’t reveal my identity when I’m in uniform, I could have made some sign or signal. I could have said something. But I didn’t.”

There was another pause while they passed around the tub of whipped cream and the bowl of fruit. Sakura had stocked up on extra cherries and strawberries for the occasion, and they sure as hell weren’t going to go to waste.

Naruto spoke around a mouthful of cookie dough. “What I want to know is, why did he come back now? We chased after his ass for 5 years, went through all that shit to find him. He refused to come with us then. Why would he show up now, a year later? Is he trying to infiltrate the village or something? But then why would anyone send HIM as a spy? Why not someone a little less infamous?”

“Perhaps he is prideful,” Sai offered. “He has shown signs of arrogance in all of our encounters thus far. Perhaps Duck-Butt wanted to return on his own terms, not ours.”

There was a collective snort of amusement at the mention of Sai’s nickname for the missing nin. Naruto’s assessment of Sasuke’s hairstyle had apparently hit on what Sai considered his sense of humor.

“You may be right, Sai,” Kakashi sighed. “It would be like him.”

A thought’s hit her. “Does this mean we have to give up the Uchiha complex?”

Time froze for a second while they all panicked. Once Tsunade had realized that Team Kakashi was serious about taking ‘time off’ from Sasuke (four months had passed since they’d returned from the last attempt, and they hadn’t even submitted a new budget proposal!), she’d told Sakura that the village council had determined that, in the interest of the economical state of the village, they were going to sell off the Uchiha complex off to be restored or demolished, they didn’t care which.

Unfortunately, Sakura had still been convinced that she was in love with the bastard. That, and she’d wanted that damn Uchiha estate from the first time she’d ever laid eyes on it. From the main house to the well house, she wanted it for her own. So she’d promptly run to the bank and tried to sweet-talk her way into getting a loan.

Unfortunately, as a kunoichi, and under 18 at the time, she would have to find 3 co-signers. It WOULD have been one, but if her fellow signers were also ninja, she had to have another. And a third was required if the others were higher than Chuunin rank.

Apparently, the people they lent money to kept dying on missions, so they based her credit rating on her life expectancy rather than her spotless repayment history.

So, naturally, she’d approached the boys. Kakashi, being damned near invincible, was a perfect choice as her main co-signer. He’d been resistant at first, saying that it was something of a step back on their ‘get over Sasuke’ strategy, but when she’d dragged him out to the complex and pointed out some of the nicer advantages of the deal (free rent, huge Uchiha dojo for Team Kakashi’s use, privacy, plenty of room for nindogs-in-training, etc.), he’d agreed. That, and she’d threatened the systematic destruction of all of Jiraya’s ‘research stations,’ thus guaranteeing writer’s block.

You really just needed to know what buttons to push when you wanted to light a fire under someone’s ass.

Naruto had been much easier to convince. She’d just flashed her emerald greens and told him how much it would mean to her. He’d folded like a cheap card table. Sai had been a tougher nut to crack, but she’d managed to bribe him with one of the houses with a spectacular view of the overgrown Uchiha gardens (which would look fantastic once they got it back into shape), and an offer to cook dinner for him for three months. He had a 'secret addiction' for her cooking.

Finally, all four had met at the bank, and, once they’d convinced the stupid bankers that Naruto’s life expectancy was a hell of a lot longer than theirs if they didn’t stop treating him like shit, they all signed under Sakura’s name for enough money to buy the complex, lock, stock and barrel.

The mortgage payments weren’t actually too bad, but the renovation was killing her. Aside from Bitch Night ingredients, her cupboards mostly consisted of ramen. The problem was, before they could take advantage of the free rent represented by the smaller houses in the complex, they had to make them livable. The others were pitching in, of course, but this project was her baby. To save money, she’d tried to get the guys to help her do some of the work with her themselves (and it was amazing how much debris, fallen tree limbs and shit you could get done with the proper application of Naruto’s Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu), but with their conflicting and busy schedules, she’d ended up having to hire help. And contractors weren’t cheap.

Currently, she had them working solely on the four houses they’d set aside for themselves. Kakashi had picked the one closest to the dojo, Sai had been promised the one overlooking the garden, she’d picked a gorgeous three bedroom next to the Uchiha archives (which she planned on pillaging at the first opportunity) and Naruto had selected a home right in the middle of the three.

He said it was so that their universe could revolve around his. Egoist.

The main house was a subject they hadn’t bothered to discuss. Hell, they hadn’t even entered the main house, yet. There was something too personal about going inside the house that Sasuke had lived in until he’d disappeared. Though Naruto had teased once about going in to raid Sasuke’s bathroom for the raven’s limitless supply of hair gel.

“Hey! That would suck! My house is almost done!” whined the blonde, predictably. They’d agreed to have his house done first, because he was the one who tended to have his things vandalized whenever he left town by the most stubborn grudge-holding villagers. If it had been just shinobi painting threatening messages on his walls, he could have easily set traps, but he just couldn’t bring himself to hurt civilians.

That, Sakura knew, would make him a great Hokage.

She'd have blasted their asses, and let Inner Sakura dance on the remains.

“The transaction has been made,” Sai stated firmly. “The deed is in Sakura-chan’s name.”

“Yes, Sai, but Sasuke may try to get it back. Uchihas are very possessive. And it was only put up for sale on the assumption that he wasn’t returning. Now that he’s back, the council may insist on returning what’s his. Especially since they’re probably going to push for the revival of his clan,” Kakashi explained patiently.

The artist cocked his head, and made what was probably the most profound statement of the evening.

“Fuck him.”

Everyone froze, spoons in their mouths, as the words sank in.

Fuck him.

Fuck him.

He’d left on his own two feet. He’d stayed away. Refused to speak to them. Attacked them on sight, even. Had his new ‘friends’ attack them. He’d nearly killed each of them at least once, Naruto nearly every time they met.

Fuck him.

“Fuck him!” Sakura tried the phrase and like the way it felt in her mouth. It felt like pure Inner Sakura, compressed into two words. “He left it, it’s ours now. He left us, and we’re each others’ precious people now. Our lives are our own. We’ve made it through, together. Us. Not him.”

Naruto’s eyes glimmered with tears for a moment. “You’re right. He didn’t want to be here, so he can’t blame us if he missed out.”

“True,” Kakashi admitted, “But, to be fair, Sakura-chan, Naruto left for 2 1/2 years as well. And I damn near disappeared from your life as well.”

Sakura shook her head. “It’s not the same. Naruto intended to come back. You had a good reason, too, sensei. We were too short handed after Orochimaru attacked. If you hadn’t done those missions, they’d have had to send someone who wasn’t as good, and more shinobi would have died for the village. It’s the downside to being the great Hatake Kakashi.”

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, trying not to blush. He really was surprisingly humble, most of the time.

She smiled, “And Kakashi, you were there. Don't think I didn't see you there in the stands during the Chuunin exam. You did still care. And I knew Naruto still cared about me, wherever he was. I never really knew with Sasuke. I hoped. I prayed. But I never felt that he did. He didn’t care enough to stay. He didn’t care enough to take me with him when I offered. He didn’t care enough to come back, or send us word that he was all right, or even listen to us when we tried to talk to him. Why did WE always have to go to HIM? He knew where we were. He knew how to find us. And he didn’t.” Her voice shook with the emotions that she was finally feeling. “So FUCK him!”

“Hn.”

That voice! THAT VOICE!

All four ninja whirled, spoons ready to deflect incoming weaponry (it COULD be done; they’d tested the theory). Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could see Kakashi turn a split second slower then the others. He’d been facing away from the door, and had taken the extra time to put his mask back over his features. Her heart warmed to think that only the three of them were graced with the sight.

But she was getting distracted. And she did SO not need to be right then.

Sasuke leaned against the entryway to her apartment. Alone.

“I find it hard to believe the Hokage didn’t assign you a guard, Uchiha-sama.” Kakashi’s voice was cold, colder than she’d ever heard it.

“There are four ANBU waiting outside,” Sasuke replied quietly. “I reminded them that there were at least two ANBU in here already, so they let me come in alone. I suspect they split up so that some could cover the window.” His eyes flicked over to Sakura, who was still crouched on the floor, chakra focused in her feet in case she needed to spring. “But apparently, my presence is unwanted.”

“Damn right,” she spat. In the guise of shifting her weight, she brought her hand closer to her ankle. Her sock had a couple of senbon she could use, if needed. A glance showed her that Naruto was still wielding his spoon, but she knew perfectly well that he was still wearing his wrist sheaths under his jacket. And Sai had already pulled a kunai from . . .where in the hell had that come from? Never mind, she probably didn’t want to know . . .

The latter said calmly, “You are indeed most unwelcome, Duck-Butt-sama. I have also been told that it is impolite to enter another’s home without invitation, especially so late at night.”

Black eyes flashed red, just for a moment, but it was enough to cause them to react. Kakashi pulled a kunai from his leg sheath, and opened his left eye, unveiling his own Sharingan. Naruto slipped out his own kunai as his own eyes flashed red, though the pupils remained the same, for the moment. Sai, despite not wearing his jacket or shoes or even freaking pants with pockets, had produced a scroll that she knew had some pre-drawn ink creatures on it. Hopefully, though, it wouldn’t come to that. She hated to imagine ink splattering everywhere. She’d never get back her deposit.

Of course, she could probably learn some things from the man on weapon concealment . . .

“Why are you here, Sasuke?” Naruto snarled.

“Why are you?” the raven countered. “It’s been almost a year since I’ve heard anything of you. What happened to you four hounding my every step?” Surely, she was imagining the petulance in his deep voice.

“Sasuke, you made it more than clear that you didn’t want us. Or Konoha.” Kakashi was standing now, not in a fighting stance, but his usual slouch.

Sakura’s temper started to return, simmering. “Are you going to tell us that you missed us?”

Sasuke tilted his head in that achingly familiar gesture and smirked in that way she’d seen so many times. “Hn. And if I did?”

Shock from all four ninja held them immobile for a moment as they all looked at each other. Then, the anger that Sakura had trained herself to keep at bay erupted.

“FUCK you! We aren’t made of stone, you know! You can’t just drop us on the side of the road and expect us to still be there if you decide to come back and pick us up!” Her fists were clenched, just short of bending the steel senbon in her grip. She was shaking all over, standing, though she had no recollection of having risen.

Naruto’s eyes were pure Kyuubi now as he stood up. “We chased you, looked for you, let our love for you overshadow everything in our lives, but you constantly pushed us away. I loved you like a brother-MORE than a brother, even. You were my precious person, and I would never have hurt you the way Itachi did, but I meant so little to you. You cast us all aside, and then spat in our faces! You-!” his tirade was cut off by Kakashi’s hand on his shoulder.

“We’ve moved on, Sasuke,” the silver haired man continued as Naruto visibly tried to control himself. “You aren’t the driving force in our lives.”

Sakura could feel Sai’s hand on her waist, though whether he thought to comfort her or restrain her, she didn’t know. Her face felt wet, and she realized she was crying, from hurt and rage. With a voice choked by grief, she looked her one time love in the eyes.

“You left us. You left me. You just assumed that I would be here for you when you got back.” She let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. Suddenly, Sai’s arms were around her, and she turned in his grip, burying her face in his chest. Sai’s hands came up to brush the tears away.

She looked up after a moment, and was frightened by the look in Sasuke’s eyes. She realized that she and Sai looked probably much closer than they really were. And, Kami help her, he looked jealous!

With the type of mood swing only possessed by women around the world, she was pissed again. “Don’t you DARE look at me like that! I waited for you for so long! I put my life on hold, thinking that you needed to be there for it to have any meaning.”

She took a step towards him, out of Sai’s arms, though his hands lingered on her waist again before falling away. “You weren’t there when I made Chuunin. You weren’t there when I was appointed Jounin. You weren’t there to watch me grow strong, stronger than I know you ever thought I could be. You never really believed in me, did you?” She pointed at Kakashi and Naruto. “They were there for me. They always have been. They trust me, believe in me, encourage me to be the best that I can. They acknowledge me, and what I’ve accomplished. They were the ones that held me when I cried for your sorry ass.” Then she pointed at Sai. “And in the three years I’ve known him, he’s been a better friend than you ever were. He even WANTS to be my friend, which is more than I could say for you. You never tried!”

Running out of steam, and breathing hard, she leveled a finger at him. “So fuck you, Uchiha Sasuke. Get. Out. Now.”

Sasuke was still, so still. The seconds ticked by as he stared into her eyes, reading the sincerity in her gaze. He glanced at Naruto.

“I’d take her advice, teme.” Sakura recognized the old nickname, but the tone in which the Kyuubi vessel said it was darker, harsher than she’d ever heard it before.

Sasuke said nothing, merely gave a nearly imperceptible bow in her direction, before walking out of the door, where they could see the ANBU members waiting. The moment the door shut behind him, Sakura’s knees gave out. She knelt on the floor, numbly staring into space, until she felt something cold pushed into her hands. She looked down to see her bowl, still filled to the top with half melted triple fudge, whipped cream and cherries.

Naruto handed her a spoon. His voice and eyes were filled with quiet admiration. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen you do, Sakura-chan. Sprinkles?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All right guys, tell me what you think! I’m pretty damn sure there’s going to be a lemon in the next chapter. I’ll have to ask Sakura. What do you guys think? Lemon, or UST? Granted, I’ll probably do whatever fits best into the plotline anyway, but it’s still good to hear input!

Ja ne! Dina-chan.