The Games We Play

It wasn’t as if he was trying to notice all the little things about Misako, but despite his best efforts certain little things became obvious things and they took his attention. It was those little things of how her skin was such a perfect tone to wear red, like the red dress she was wearing now. Or how that same red made her eyes simply dazzle, and when she smiled at you they all but glowed. It was obvious how perfect she was built from her lean body to her long honey like hair. Tonight her hair was styled in a array of curls Naruto couldn’t help but admire as they framed her face and fell down her very slender shoulders.

There was something different about her. It wasn’t just her beauty or her song like of a laugh. She was different; she wasn’t like anyone he knew. She was not a ninja, and even though she may have been rich she traveled so much she didn’t have close friends or family other then her sister. To him, Misako was a new oddity. She intrigued him; he wanted to know about her, he wanted to know what it was like traveling with a sibling and a father. He wanted to know what she knew of the world she had traveled.

Hinata told him to come didn’t she? She told him it would be a good thing to take her out because it would help them in the long run. And if Hinata asked it, he would never hesitate to do it for her. So really, he was doing this for her. Given they were now eating dinner at some fancy restaurant Naruto didn’t even know existed, and it wasn’t the lunch date he had been asked about but he could still say it was because his girlfriend asked him too.

“How long have you two been together?” Misako asked her chin resting on her palm.

“Huh?” Naruto asked. He had been so lost in his logic he missed her question or rather topic of question.

“You and Hinata, how long have you two been dating?”

“Oh, um…” Naruto thought hard. They had been together for a long time. It wasn’t before he met Misako, but it was after. “Almost seven months…I think give or take.”

“That’s a long time.” She sounded impressed. “Was it before or after you met me?” Her eyes looked some what darker now and for some reason Naruto was beginning to feel uncomfortable under her gaze.

“After.” He said with out hesitation, for some reason this made her smirk.

“After huh, so then I take it she doesn’t know about our little…ally way game?”

“N-No.” Naruto said unsure why he was a bit flustered and suddenly wanting to make an excuse to leave.

“She seems like a very sweet girl,” She continued, her eyes never leaving his but her lips going from a smirk to a smile.

“She is, Hinata is really great.”

“I bet she is.” She took a drink from her half filled glass and her face got serious. “You know you never answered my question from before.”

“What questions? About avoiding you?” Naruto laughed nervously putting his hand behind his head. “I already told you, I wasn’t avoiding you I had things to do and you were busy with Sakura and stuff and…”

“About her family,” Misako interrupted him.

“Oh,” He had been avoiding that question. He knew it wasn’t his place to talk about. He had no right to inform Misako or anyone for that matter about anything that happened between Hinata and her family.

“Do they know about you? They don’t seem like the kind of people who would let someone like her date just anyone.”

“Well…they don’t…but…”

“But?”

“It’s between them; what ever Hinata’s told them or hasn’t told them is her business.”

Misako looked at him for a long moment before letting that strange small smile creep over her lips.

“I understand.” She said. “Sorry to pry into her life.”

“It’s okay.” Naruto shrugged.

“You know you are a very good boyfriend to protect her like that.”

At this Naruto smiled almost too proudly.

“I protect everyone precious to me!”

Misako blinked.

“Precious to you?”

“My friends, they are my family, I never had one, so I protect them like my family.”

“You never had family?”

“Nope.”

“How sad.” Misako frowned and Naruto began to feel bad for making her feel bad.

“It wasn’t so bad. I was in school and had friends, and they became my family. Now I have Hinata-chan who I…well yeah, so it’s not bad.”

“It must be nice to have so many friends.”

It was a simple statement but for some reason it made Naruto a little uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but think this conversation was taking a strange turn and he felt he needed to change it’s course.

“So you and Yuna,” He said shifting a little in his seat. “You two travel a lot huh?”

“Oh yes, father does a lot of business and he since he’s gone for so long he just takes us with him. He says it’s cheaper to take us with him then to keep us with a nanny or something.”

“Sounds like an exciting life.”

Misako shrugged. “It’s different from anyone else I suppose. But unlike you we don’t make a lot of friends. I mean how can we? We travel so much.”

“Well yeah…but…you have each other right?”

She smiled at him. His cheeks burned a bit suddenly, this place must be getting stuffy.

“We do.”

They continued to talk about nothing important of even of interest, dancing around personal subjects keeping the conversation light and pleasant. After they had sat long enough for the left over food on their plate to get cold and Naruto learned how Misako was born in one town but ended up spending almost all her childhood on the other side of the country.

He learned a lot about her that night; he learned that she did seem to love her father but admitted that she didn’t even know him that well due to his constant absence. He couldn’t really understand that feeling himself but her face got sad when she spoke of it so we could sympathize for her. The longer they spoke the more Naruto got the impression she was just a lonely girl. A girl who spent her life traveling with no real friends, and he could really understand that. He felt bad for her, a girl like her not having any friends it hit home. She was friendly, and very pretty, her smile caught everyone attention; a girl like her should have no problem finding people wanting to be friendly with her.

“It’s getting late.” She said making a move to get up.

“Oh…yeah…yeah, we should go.” He agreed pulling out some money for their bill and following her out.

As they walked he felt her hand touch his elbow and he tensed up a bit. He didn’t show it but he really didn’t feel her being so close to him and holding him like this would look good, but then again it’s not like anything was happening. He was just taking her out like his girlfriend had previously said. Nothing was happening he should worry about. Or at least that was his belief until he heard a very familiar laughter coming from a very familiar blonde girl across the room.

“Naruto!” Ino waved and pulled her date toward him. “Hey what are you doing…here…” She slowed and her eyes brows rose when she saw the girl hanging on Naruto arm.

“Hello Ino, wow you look pretty.” Misako said pleasantly. Ino’s eyebrows flew back up and she smiled at the girl.

“So do you, what are you two doing here?”

“Naruto was just treating me to dinner, and you?” Misako answered for them.

“You…oh my…” She breathed and a strange smile came across her lips. She looked at the said blond man who didn’t understand why she was smiling or why it would be anything wrong in the first place. “Oh yeah, I’m here on a date too.” She turned around where her date was but was now and empty space.

“I think he went to get us a table I better catch up with him. I’ll see you two around then.” She waved good bye and was quickly out of sight.

Naruto watched her go meeting up with her date. The girl quickly pulled him down whispering something in his ear that made him look their way. Naruto didn’t like this; Ino had a big mouth no matter what or who it was she was talking about. This could be bad, and this bad thing could be around town before morning.

“Let’s go.” Misako pulled him on and he nodded following her.

“Are you going to walk me home?” She asked once they were outside walking down the streets.

“Um…”

“You should Naruto; it’s polite to see your date gets home safely.”

“Date? But Misako we’re not…”

“Please Naruto call me Misa, and come on you should walk me home anyways it’s only polite.” She pulled him along and he felt all arguments leaving his throat allowing himself to walk in silence as she continued to hold his arm.

They walked in silence neither of them apparently not sure of what to really say to the other. It seemed all friendly conversation had been spent back at the restaurant so Naruto conceded to enjoy the company of the pretty girl on his arm. After all it wasn’t as though he saw her as anything more.

He walked with her to the “rich” side of town. He had been here many times it was often the way to go when going to Hinata’s place but for some reason it felt different going with her. It felt like he really didn’t belong…like he wasn’t ever supposed to be here. Well no matter, he was just going to wish Misa a good night and then be on his way, back to his side of town, back where it made sense.

They stopped in front of a very large town house. It was really nice, obviously a new development of some sort on this side of town. The house itself was pretty big, too big for just two people if you asked him but then again they were probably used to such treatment everywhere they went. They stopped at the door step and Naruto smiled friendly at her.

“So this is good night then?”

“I guess so,” She said but didn’t let him go.

“Um… good night Misa. I had a good time.”

“I did too. I hope we can do it again.”

“Um…yeah…” he fidgeted in his spot, he felt like he needed to leave right now but she would not let him go. He couldn’t just yank his arm out, that would be rude but he certainly didn’t want to stay.

“Are you going to kiss me?” She asked suddenly catapulting him out of his thoughts to make a smooth exit.

“What?”

“Aren’t you supposed to kiss a date good night?”

“A…kiss…? Well I…I mean…a date….maybe….” He babbled like an idiot, all the while the girl in the pretty dress with dark emerald eyes smiled at him.

“It’s just a kiss Naruto,” she said sweetly leaning forward. He backed up; something told him this was certainly not allowed.

“I don’t think…” he started while moving steadily away from her, but it seemed as though Misa really wanted her kiss.

Her lips brushed his ear; a very familiar chill down his spine and to his toes.

“I won’t tell Hinata.”

“…”

The smell of her was invading his nose making it hard to think of responses. Her proximity to his body, the warmth coming from her was making it even harder to form actual thoughts to put into real responses. Before he knew it soft warm lips were on his. A flood of memories came back to him; her kiss, her lips, her touch. Images flew into his head, images of six months ago his hands found their way to her waist when she deepened the kiss.

She stepped closer her body pressing up tightly against his. She gave a soft sweet moan into his mouth and Naruto remembered he was not supposed to be doing this. He all but shoved her away from him he looked at her, blue met green and then he looked away. She looked confused and even a bit upset.

“Sorry,” He said still refusing to look at her. “I shouldn’t…we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“I’m sorry too,” She said after a brief moment of silence. “I don’t know what came over me…I just…I’m sorry.”

They were quiet again, a very awkward moment between them once again. Tension rose in the air around them, both of them obviously uncomfortable but neither really sure how to leave.

“I had a really nice time Naruto,” She spoke first relieving some of the tension.

“Yeah…it was nice…um,” He rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll see you around, I guess.”

“Yeah, see you around.”

He walked off her front porch and back into the dark streets of the city. He was relieved to leave, but no matter how far he got he couldn’t shake the sudden bad feeling he had. She said she wouldn’t tell Hinata, and maybe it was best if he didn’t tell her either. It was a kiss…just a kiss…but just to be safe those were things he didn’t want Hinata to worry about.

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Sasuke gave large heavy sigh. It was late, and it took him all day to re-due everything he had messed up the day before with Sakura’s visit but it was done. Now he could report to the Hokage in the morning and get yet another mindless organizing job before being let back out on the field with real missions.

As he looked down at his papers and flexed is aching hand he let those thoughts come back to his head. Those thoughts that came every night when he was alone like his doing paper work. The once great Uchiha now a desk clerk, had it really been worth it? Had it really been worth coming back to Konoha if this is what he had been reduced to?

Deciding such questions should not be thought of after a very long and boring day Sasuke stood and made his way out of the office. He stopped before touching the door knob. He could feel her there, he could almost smell her. How long had she been here? Had she been waiting? He didn’t know if that was pathetic or disturbing, or both. He rolled eyes bracing himself for an onslaught of “Sasuke-sama’s”.

When he opened the door however she was not waiting like he expected. She was bent over picking up a load of papers that were on the floor around her feet. However natural this may seem, Sasuke had to wonder how they happen to fall right outside his door. She looked up, dark intense eyes meeting his own, both suddenly in a stare down with out realizing it.

“Hello Sasuke-sama.” She said politely her eyes never breaking form his. That was new, the only girl who could keep his stare was Sakura, everyone else cowered away or blushed.

“What are those?” He asked looking at the papers she was gathering in her hands.

“Just some information regarding funding for certain things in town or clan specifics…is that your office?” She asked looking behind him.

He nodded and she gave a small giggle. When he lifted his eyebrow to her she cleared her throat.

“I don’t think anyone ever considered seeing the great Uchiha Sasuke cooped up in an office.”

“Hn.” He said and turned to leave.

If she needed help, she didn’t ask and it wasn’t like he was going to help her if she did. He knew it was best to stay away from her completely with the shit she pulled the other day. He heard her say good night to him as he walked but didn’t turn to return the friendly good bye. However it wasn’t a friendly good bye she had said because just a few seconds later she was now at his side again. He looked at her again with an unpleasant eye and again she simply smiled sweetly at him.

“I thought I could walk out with you, it is late after all.”

When he said nothing she took it as a yes and continued to walk by his side struggling with the papers in her hand. He could see how she let them fall the first time and it was obvious she was going to do it again. The thought of helping her entered his mind but left just as fast.

“Are you always here late?” She asked as they walked down the halls.

“No.” He said quietly making it obvious he did not wish to speak with her. She must have taken the hint; she was quiet for several minutes again. The walked in silence until they reached the double doors to enter into the hot summer night on the very empty streets.

He was about to make a sharp turn when she called to him again. Instead of ignoring it something made him stop and turn around to face her. Her eyes were soft, almost sad looking.

“About the other night…” she started still looking at him dead in the eye.

“Forget about it,” He cut her off looking away. For some reason he found it hard to maintain her stare…well that was a first.

“Are you going to tell Sakura-san?” She asked quickly. Apparently she, like him, did not want Sakura to know, though probably for different reasons.

“No.”

“Oh, okay. Well I am sorry, I just…I don’t know what came over me…its just when I was with you before and…”

“I said forget about it. Nothing is going to happen Yuna so just forget about it.”

He took a step to leave but she called him back.

“Can I ask just one more thing?”

“What?” He was getting irritated now. He wanted to go home, he was tired and it was really late.

“If you weren’t with her, would I have a chance?”

At this his dark eyes met her own under the light of the tower. He looked her up and down, even with the stack of papers in her hands she was still the same Yuna he had taken to bed all those months ago. And she probably would fuck just the same too. If you weren’t with her? He sighed and turned around again not bothering to give the answer she wanted to hear.

At home Sasuke undressed and went strait to bed. Suddenly too exhausted to really do anything else. He had done good to not think of Yuna or her attack on him several months ago or the other night. He had distracted himself plenty, but now alone after her questions he couldn’t help but think of her. On looks alone she was his type. She was exotic looking and bold, however in any other aspects he could see how he would just get annoyed with her.

She was obviously submissive which would be fun for a while but after a while he would get board of her. She was quiet and docile, she was obedient and quiet. She was everything Sakura wasn’t. Sakura was loud, she was persistent, she was territorial, jealous, hot headed, short tempered, violent…Sakura was his complete polar opposite.

Sakura was the only thing he had ever really had. Before he left she was there. She went after him saying she was still there. And when he came home she was here waiting patiently for him. And she would be here for the rest of her life if she wanted to, and he knew she did. Yuna though, she wasn’t going to be here for long. She was so different from any other woman he had ever known. She didn’t try to impress him. She didn’t even seem afraid of him. She was the only person to meet his stare strait on other then Naruto or Sakura and not flinch.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. What was he thinking? Yuna? What about Yuna? Yuna was the daughter of a very rich man who his girlfriend was currently ass kissing to the greatest extent just to get a cut of the guys fortune. Why the sudden interest? Why not six months ago when she walked into his hotel room in nothing but a robe? Was it because of her kiss? That was stupid it was only a kiss, a kiss he broke away from and left. A kiss he had stopped and was making damn sure he wasn’t in the at position ever again.

As much as he said it to himself until he went to sleep, even the great Uchiha Sasuke knew it always starts with a kiss.

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TBC - Uh...oh...