Rain

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Rain
By 11


Chapter 08

So that’s why this waiter seemed so familiar. It was Sakura: in boy’s clothes… and was that a bit of stubble? Did she have to paste that on or something?

She actually pulled the look off pretty well. If Sasuke didn’t already know it was Sakura; he might have been able to convince himself it was her cousin or something. However, given the recognition in her eyes and the fact she was sweating bullets Sasu knew it was Sakura.

Though nametag said ‘Saku Noruha’ hm… wonder why.

“Yeah, I’d like a root beer; Sasu want a root beer? Yeah, get her a root beer too,” Naru ordered for them; “And I think we’re ready to order too. I’d like the cheeseburger, no onions. Sasu, do you want a burger? Okay, she’ll have a cheeseburger with everything on it.”

“Actually I’ll just have a corn dog I think.” Sasu interrupted.

“Okay a corndog.” The blond amended.

Sakura looked a bit relieved. Did she think she was off the hook? Did Naru honestly not recognize the girl in the cap masquerading as male? Sakura sent Sasu a glare when it looked like Sasu was going to tell Naru; who still seemed oblivious that it was Sakura.

“Okay. Will that be all?” the pink-haired ‘boy’ asked genially.

“Yup, that’s it.” Naru grinned then paused, “I think I know you from somewhere.”

“Oh really? I’m flattered that the famous Naru would say so; but I’m pretty sure we’ve never met.” The ‘youth’ laughed good-naturedly.

“Ah, Sakura!” Naru said with a smirk, “What are you doing dressed as a man?”

Sakura leaned over the table and put a hand on the back of Naru’s head to hold her so her voice wouldn’t carry to the counter.

The girl glanced up at her boss who was looking away and relaxed for a moment; but she still looked really flustered.

“It’s… they only have guy’s working here right now. It’s a gimmick during the school days right now in order to attract female customers. This is also the only place who hires people part-time under age eighteen. So I kind of need this job right now.”

Sakura kept looking at the table and glancing at Naru; apparently it didn’t matter a whole lot if Sasu knew. Or maybe she trusted Sasu as a friend to not say anything; but Naru was her employer as well.

When the manager/boss woman retreated to the kitchens 'Saku' sighed and straightened back up to regard the two girls at the table. "So," she started awkwardly, trying not to fidget, "please don't tell anyone."

Green eyes kept shifting back to Naru, more so than Sasu, since the blond was ultimately the one who would decide if she could keep her second job here as a male.

Naru grinned her vulpine grin, "Don't worry, Sa~ku~n." the blond looked like she wanted to burst into a fit of giggles but managed to contain herself. The pink-haired girl let out a breath of relief before glancing at Sasu.

The paler girl shrugged her shoulders, "It's fine with me." It wasn't as if Sasuke really cared whether Sakura was crossdressing too; as long as she didn't find out he was doing the same thing.

In all honesty it probably didn't make a difference one way or another to him. Really; a pink elephant could walk down the street dancing the polka and singing opera and an Uchiha would not bat so much as an eyelash.

... Okay, well for something that insane he might, but still; by this time there would not be a lot of things that could possibly purturb him anymore.

"I'm just glad you're doing better now," Naru noted her smile softening, blue eyes studying the other girl for a sign of any lingering emptiness.

Green eyes startled slightly and shadowed a moment before Sakura covered it over with a smile. "Well, they wouldn't want me to be sad. Above all things, they just wanted me to be happy. So I can't make them happy if I'm not happy; see."

"I'm glad." Naru grinned, one tanned hand reaching up to finger rose-colored locks. "So this is why you cut your hair." The model clucked her tongue in approval, "You make a gorgeous guy."

Sakura flushed slightly and pulled away, "I'm known as Saku Noruha when I'm working here, uh, thanks. And for not telling, I appreciate it."

"Huh? Saku? Psh." Naru turned away, "Your name needs some work girl. Saku, Sakura? Kind of obvious, right?"

'Saku' turned away sheepishly, "Well, it's what I came up with on the spot for the interview. I only got the haircut an hour before the interview... And I need this second job since I'm going to be living on my own now."

Sasuke looked up, "You're not staying with your aunt anymore? Was there a problem?"

"No, not at all," Sakura shook her head, "I'm finishing high school soon too. I figured it's time I start paving my own path now that my folks are gone." She grinned brightly, "I'm a big girl now, so I can take care of myself, right."

"Can we go out sometime?"

Saku looked back to Naru, blue eyes set on the pink-haired 'youth' with a lazy pout; "You make a really hot guy. I totally want to date you; so can we go out this weekend?"

Sakura blushed redder than a tomato, and Sasuke glared at the idiotic girl. What was wrong with her?!

"Don't be an idiot Naru," Sasu growled and turned back to 'Saku' to get 'him' off the hook and back into reality. "Just ignore her, and bring out that food as soon as possible; I'm hungry."

"Sure thing." Sakura nodded relieved to rush away and avoid the embarrassing event of turning down another girl who is a model and her boss.

"Why can't you stay sane for just one moment?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth.

"Aw come on!" Naru groaned, "You cannot tell me you didn't think she made a hot guy. She was gorgeous. She looks kind of fruity just from her coloring but she's super hot."

"That's not an excuse to hit on her." Dark eyes glared.

"But she was hot." Naru repeated in weak defense.

"You made her uncomfortable." Sasu persisted. Naru shrugged her shoulders and turned to look out the window.

Their short meal was relatively uneventful since Sasuke still felt annoyed with Naru and iced her every attempt to start another conversation with either Sasu or Saku. Naru pouted, Sasu sulked, Saku stayed as out-of-the-picture as he could; and all is right in the world.

Stupid Naru, hitting on another girl; and right in front of him - what the hell?! Does she not think?! He knew she wasn't a total idiot, she'd proved that much in some instances of demonstrating common sense... the rest of the time Sasuke really wondered.
Another thing had been bugging him nonstop... the similarities of two certain blondes. Sometimes he almost thought they could be the same person. But then Naru'to' was normally withdrawn while Naru would do anything to make sure the spotlight was on her and she was hitting on everyone within an arms reach.

Twins? No, or else Naru was lying - he'd asked her in passing if she had any siblings and she had divulged that she was an only child. So that was ruled out.

Sasu still couldn't quite talk to Naruto while looking him in the eyes, so their contact right now was back to being mostly minimal. Well it still looked like the only option right now regarding his own questionable sexuality was that he was likely bisexual.

Course it still bugged the potato-cream out of him that Naru had nearly been ignoring him all day! First in the morning she was busy flirting with Ino. INO!! A perfectly straight girl who during coffee break could not stop talking about that one actors abs or this one guy's great arms.

Oh but it didn't stop there, then when they went out later to be together. Sakura is there, as Saku, and Naru's inclination then is to hit on her.

Maybe Naru simply was a lesbian. And the only reason she even considered Sasu was because he was - dare he admit it - girlie?! All in all it had greatly hurt his pride that the girl appeared to be losing interest in him.

Of course in retrospect he'd never done that much to hold her attention. In fact it still bewildered him as to how he garnered her interest in the first place.

True to the rule that "you want what you don't have", now that Naru's attentions had begun to wane Sasuke then receives a sizeable blow to his ego - which really, really didn't need that.

After exited the restaurant finally and not having to deal with Naru making baby-blue doe eyes at Sakura the blond regarded Sasuke and Sasuke alone. He didn't look at her when she regarded his profile for a moment as they started down the sidewalk again. She sighed.

"You're so quiet Sasuke," the girl moaned in boredom, and yawned; slinging her arm around Sasuke in the process pulling herself close along his side. Her hand rested idly against his neck.

"Just so you know," she whispered against the other side of his neck where she let her head rest, "I love you way more."

She grinned up at him, though Sasuke refused to give her the satisfaction of him looking back at her. "And even if Sakura makes one hot guy, you're an actual guy." She chirped happily. Then leaned back, resting her arm across his shoulder still. Wow, they were almost pretty-much the same height.

Blue eyes flashed mischievously. "Down here too."

Suddely her free hand latched onto the junction of the skirt between his legs. Then lifted up slightly so her fingers brushed against his crotch. It was like an electric shock sent along every nerve. He jumped back on reflex. Jerked his body away from the offending touch.

Golden laugher bubbled from Naru's throat. Sasuke felt a heavy flush of heat rise to his cheeks and... to someplace else.

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed, probably for the first time in a very long time; in fact he didn't even recall the last time. "Don't touch me there!" he raged at the giggling girl.

"That was-!" he started, attempting to berate the shining Venus, "You're too bold!!"

"You're too jumpy!!" the girl laughed again, walking over to him. He moved to jerk away again, but this time she just took his arm, holding it close to her as she fell in beside him to continue walking.

Stupid girl, now his member was... did she even know how difficult she was? Did she realize how big a tease she really was?!

"You want to go to the zoo or something, it's not dark out yet!" the girl suggested amiably.

"It's already really late." Sasuke pointed out; still annoyed with her. The blond glanced at her watch and frowned.

"Aw, oh well." she shrugged and grinning again, spinning on her heel to face him. "It's because we spent too long earlier talking to Sakura."

Sasuke glared, and felt like pointing out if was only Naru who really did any extensive flirt-er, 'talking' with Sakura.

Then with minimal movement the girl leaned toward him. The soft feather light touch of her lips to his moved crimson flame like a flood from his lips to the rest of him.

The soft skin of her mouth moved against his, and a storm of electricity ignited within every cell. In dual motion Sasuke's lips perked towards hers seeking more of that delicious friction that send flame and lightning to course through his body.

Unconsciously Sasuke leaned into the kiss, and moved to put his hand to her neck and draw her closer. But he stopped when he felt the warm wet of her tongue tracing against his lips.

The warm heat of her mouth followed by the slight chill of the air against the sensitized flesh she laid bare. His breath seemed to stop and he froze for a moment too lost in the foreign action, moving slightly forward to feel more, of her soft tongue moving over his skin.

Then all too quickly Naru drew back again. She smiled brightly at him, and for not quite the second time that day Sasuke questioned if the girl meant to be this dreadful tease.

She stood back a moment and just smiled at him. The light reached her eyes and momentarily she continued down the street in the opposite direction. "I'll be seeing you." She called out to him after she had passed.

Sasuke raised his hand to his mouth but refrained from touching them to his lips; he could still feel the sensation of her mouth and tongue against the sensitive skin.

Sasuke continued his way home to his bed and sleep. The memory remained intact, that of Naru's hand on his crotch, her lips on his, and her tongue tracing his mouth...

Sasuke frowned at himself. He shouldn't have started like he did, he should have let her in. Damn that was lame.

`

Monday: Sasuke really hated Mondays.

“Sasu! I forgot to tell you before how awesome you were at the track meet!”

“Sasu, lovely as usual!” the sniveling face of some poor boy drawn in by the ambiguous features of a youth in drag.

“Free this next weekend Sasu?” another asked, encroaching on the territory of the first two as the boys crowded around ‘Sasu’s desk.

“Forget the weekend, how about I take you to dinner this evening Sasu?”

Sasu didn’t even bother with a smile, to turn them down gently was to encourage further transgression, “I’m not interested. Get lost.” She gave the order. None obeyed.

“Aw don’t be like that Sasu!”

“Sasu, you like French movies right? That’s what Michiko said.”

“Don’t be so cold, when we’re so hot for you gorgeous, come on!” They could coax and cajole all day. Sasuke severely detested all male attention. At least from these buffoons. Oddly enough there was one’s that he did crave. But that was a dangerous desire.

“Is this an invitation for me to break your faces?” A familiar male voice cut through the other boy’s luring calls. The boys surrounding Sasu’s desk froze up and backed away minimally. ‘Sasu’ felt ‘her’ heart speed rise considerably and her face felt hot. She willed it away but it would not go. Not after her last encounter with the blond…

“She- she was just warming up to us! She was even going to agree to go out with me this evening!” one of the braver ones’ defended as the other three backed away considerably before running for the safety of their desks. “Weren’t you Sasu?!”

“I recall no such thing.” It was a snarl, but somehow Sasu’s voice came out thicker than Sasuke had intended. He fought to keep his breathing level. Now that Naruto was standing just behind him, barely a foot away.

“Well you heard her.” Naruto told the cowering youth, “Or do you want to take this outside?”

The boy visibly paled and he turned to bolt back to his seat, farthest from the blond as he could. Sasu wondered for an infinity of a moment when the blond didn’t immediately move away, if Naruto was going to speak to ‘her’ now. But he moved away.

Risking a look to glance back at the other, Sasu saw that the blond had done only what he normally did every day. Go back to his desk after chasing off the dark-haired girl’s unwanted admirers and fall promptly asleep.

Sasu frowned and turned back to the front. A flush stained ‘her’ cheeks, and she let her dark hair fall to cover her blushing face from everyone else in the classroom.

There was no way that Sasu could even face Naruto with a straight face. Not after what she had done… with a light headed daze Sasu shivered, remembering the feel of rough hands stroking her thigh.

She could clearly recall those demanding lips swallowing her entirely drowning her mind. Senses snared and attuned entirely to the blond’s lightest touch to evoke a powerful tremor through her whole body.

She shuddered again as she forcibly yanked her mind back to the present when the teacher walked in to start class. The two of them had had minimal contact since then.

But then, Naruto was acting so very normal. Sasu stole another glance back at the blond, but he was still sitting with his head in his arms at his desk, unmoved from when he first sat down.

Unmoved. That was what Sasu had set out at that time to disprove, that in fact Naruto was affected by people; that he was affected by her. But now, even with the confirmation of their last encounter. It was as if Naruto was now completely ‘over’ her.

It wasn’t fair. Sasu… Sasuke, wasn’t over Naruto. Even if it could go nowhere. Even if he should just leave the scar alone, let it scab over and never pick at it again… how could he just leave it alone? He didn’t understand it, and it wasn’t fair. It never was, it probably never would be.

Sasuke should probably have left well enough alone. But he couldn’t. There was no way, no way; when he was still constantly in his thoughts. There when Naru wasn’t, and always there anyway; lingering somewhere at the back.

After classes Sasu checked which class was the blond’s last, and waited until the room emptied. Like all other classrooms, Naruto sat somewhere undisturbed, where he was likely sleeping most of the class anyway.

When Sasu entered the classroom, Naruto was already awake, in fact he was putting his notebooks away in his pack before departing for the day. He stood to make for the door, but stopped when he noticed Sasu. There was no change in him save the pause as he stood by his desk watching her.

Sasu felt her face burn, and her skin seemed to tingle slightly, even though he was only looking her in the eyes. Something hurt too, it was just so normal. Nothing remotely like guilt or similar hurt or anxiety broke his mask. The blond would not speak.

Finally Sasu rent the silence; “I don’t get it!” it was a petulant declaration, but nonetheless forced all the hurt and anxiety Sasu felt into it.

“Don’t get what?” Naruto pondered, as he walked closer, to the door. Sasu stood now between him and his way out. Away from what he no doubt thought was a stupid conversation. After all hadn’t this been done with in their last trying encounter.

But Sasuke couldn’t just end it there, something wouldn’t let him, as wrong and as unfair as it was. He couldn’t just leave it, alone and accept it the way it was. Sure there was Naru, and he should leave well enough alone. But he couldn’t.

“You’re ignoring me!”

“No I’m not.”

“You may as well be!” Sasu hissed angrily, refusing to let that sting at her eyes turn into tears. Stupid Naruto, so pigheaded! “It’s like… I mean nothing to you? Is that right?”

“Doesn’t it make it easier?”

“What?” Sasu started.

Naruto shrugged and looked away, somewhere past Sasu’s eyes; as if he too were afraid to look her directly in the eyes. “We can still be friends. Pretend it never happened; that makes it easier to deal with, doesn’t it?”

“Right…” Sasu relented, seeing the sense in this thought. To pretend it didn’t happen, to ignore it; then it just goes away and you don’t have to deal with any more.

None of the awkwardness, none of the pain… but Sasu couldn’t. Why? Because, it did mean something, because he couldn’t so easily just discard it. It wasn’t fair… to just pretend it never happened! Because it did! And even if it shouldn’t have, it meant something!

For all that it was wrong, the fact that Naruto desired him as well… that meant something. Something, and it was too painful to just ignore and pretend had never happened. To live a lie; he hurt just to look at the blond’s uncaring face.

“But…” Sasuke struggled with the words, “how can you just brush it off so easily?”

Sasuke glared directly into Naruto’s eyes, cerulean orbs focused on his once more. “It’s not like I don’t mean anything to you, right?”

He never did get an answer. Naruto gave him some sort of sad look; icy eyes softening and his solid form yielding slightly before he walked right by him.

The golden youth was ignoring him again, or perhaps he thought that look was as good an answer. But it was so un-understandable. The blond had said so before, it wasn’t like he meant nothing to him… right?

`

It didn’t make sense. It still didn’t, and Sasu was still fuming over the whole thing even after leaving school grounds to head for the studio. Naru was, at least, easier to converse with! Who cared about stupid Naruto?!

Sasuke sighed loudly in frustration, legs working at a furious trot rather than a casual walk. It wasn’t necessary or else he’d get there early and just be waiting around for the first five minutes he arrived in.

Might as well walk a little slower. Take a few deep breaths. Forget about it. It was pointless to think about anyway.

“Sorry got to run!”

It’s a masculine voice, sorta. But he recognized it; it was not Naruto… Sasu look up across the street and see Sakura. The girl really looked kind of like a guy from the current distance. The green eyed girl was still slight, and her chest wasn’t much, but it’s even less now.

Sasu frowned and figured that she looked like one of those scrawny geeks actually. Yet even from here the dark-haired girl could make out the definition in Saku’s arms. The girl took off at a run as soon as s‘he’ was dismissed from work. Sasu shrugged, Saku probably had an early shift today or something.

A little farther up the same street was another girl that Sasu recognized: Ino. Her long pale blonde locks swishing behind her; she left her ponytail loose today. Several guys at the coffee shops she passed looked up as she walked by. The flirtatious girl oddly enough took no notice.

But then she too was on her way to Naru’s studio, most likely. All three of them were; Sakura would have to change before entering the building though; unless she wanted to advertise to everyone she was trying miserably to pass herself off for a guy with pink hair.

“Hey!”

Sasu looked up at the cry; it sounded like Ino. “Hey, let go of me, you jerkwad!” The blond said loudly in irritation, trying to take her arm back from a burly guy with jet-black hair.

The guy was taller than she was, and it looked like he had Ino’s wrist in a vice-grip from the looks of it. He had two buddies with him outside the shop still sitting at the table.

“No way! I would never date someone like you!” Ino seethed loudly to the question the guy was obviously posing to her, “Let go of me! This is harassment!”

The other two guys at the table stood up, just as the dark-haired guy yanked Ino into his arms. “What the! LET GO!!” Ino started trying to wrestle from his grip.

The guys started to walk and for a moment it looked like the guy was going to have to pick Ino up to keep her moving. “HELP!! GET AWAY FROM ME!! WHAT THE HELL!!”

Sasuke cursed under his breath and moved to cross the street; no way he could just leave Ino like that. If no one stopped them; who knew what those guys had in store for her. Someone beat him to her.

“Ino!!”

The person had already been moving at a jog for a full block anyway, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected when said person leap up to land ‘his’ knee right in the big guy’s face. Saku’s body was light enough that at a run she could jump enough; at school, wasn’t she on the high jump team or something?

Saku’s pale fingers closed around Ino’s wrist, twisting the girl out of the guy’s grip and pulling her forward. The guy’s grip on the blond loosened when Saku struck at his face.

Then the two girls were rushing far past the three thugs. Sasuke took off as well and followed them up the parallel block until Saku finally stopped; satisfied that they had lost them.

Ino nearly fell to the ground exhausted from the mile-a-minute sprint she had just been forced into. But Saku supported her, catching her by the shoulders before she fell. Letting the blonde’s body rest leaning into hers while she recovered her breath.

“You should be okay now, sorry about that.” Saku said, remembering to use the deeper voice, and attempting to run off before Ino could realize who it really was standing in front of her.

“Wait!” Ino’s hand reached out and grabbed, the edge of Saku’s shirt before ‘he’ could dart away again. Blue eyes looked up bright with perspiration, her face flushed from the rush. “How-how did you know my name?”

What? Sasu watched from a block away; yet still managed to catch the girl’s words, spoken so vehemently to her savior. Didn’t Ino see who it was, the pink-hair made it pretty obvious, didn’t it?

“What?” Saku reiterated Sasu’s thoughts.

Ino’s blush darkened, “I’m really flattered – that you know my name! I don’t know why, but you do…” she trailed off, and stopped, releasing Saku’s shirt. “Thank you so much for saving me. I don’t know your name.”

“Saku-!” Sakura cut herself off, thankful that it was in fact only her alias she had given out. But now for sure, Ino would realize-!

“Saku, that’s a cute name,” Ino giggled, smiling at ‘the youth’ before her. Sasu could only be amazed that somehow the other girl had completely missed the pink hair – it was obviously Sakura!

“Um, yeah. Saku Noruha.” ‘he’ introduced himself. Further deepening his voice, just a bit, to try and be more legitimately ‘male’.

“Again… thank you.” Ino blushed again, blue eyes turning doe-like and watery; “I don’t know how I can thank you appropriately… what you’ve done for me is… who knows what they would have done to me…”

Looking away at an angle, Ino effectively got across what would have happened – Sasuke figured. Saku was also flushing slightly at this point. “Oh… my… uh. Not at all!” Saku floundered, and looked away as well, “Glad to help! Really!”

“Well, I have to get to work actually.” Saku attempted to excuse himself, “I’m going to be late otherwise.” He moved to part ways as quickly and casually as possible.

Ino’s hand again seized on his shirt, and held him in place. The blondes body moving suddenly closer to his own. Saku gasped slightly and tried to lean away and Ino’s face neared his own.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Ino asked, her face slightly flushed from embarrassment at her own forwardness. Saku looked momentarily shocked, but was unable to put more distance between the two of them. No doubt the proximity was making him anxious and uneasy.

“Uh, no.” Saku answered truthfully. Ino’s blue eyes sparked something then and she leaned inward more. Saku backed up and soon found himself pressed against the wall behind him, Ino bearing down on him with eyes filled with hope and something else.

“Then please-!” She paused momentarily, to take up courage for her words, “Will you go out with me!” The girl’s face immediately bloomed to full color at her own question. Embarrassed and afraid of rejection. Every emotion laid bare in her crystalline blue eyes.

Uncertainty, fear, excitement, anxiety, infatuation, sincerity… love? Yes, or something that looked an awful lot like love… some deeper mote of caring beyond the immediate friendship Ino found so easily in others. Saku was entirely overwhelmed in the single encounter.

“So-so you accept!” Ino stated, rather than asked, forcefully; when Saku hesitated. The green-eyed girl was positive her face was just as flushed as Ino’s with her friend’s sudden bold declaration. She felt too hot, her skin burned.

Ino’s hand touching her shirt, gripping tightly; their flesh separated only by a thin cotton fabric. It spread like a fire branding her skin more effectively than any iron ever could. It seemed to reach through to her quivering hart, beating faster every moment the blonde stayed close beside her.

“Ah-yes.” Saku breathed, unable to say anything more. She could not bear to reject the girl when it was like this. And the effect was immediate. Those cerulean eyes lighting up and overflowing with light and brilliance. Serenity, happiness… and then she smiled. And the whole world came alive.

It felt like everything was light then and Sakura could look at nothing else but Ino’s gorgeous expression. Something she’d never seen on her friend before. So much like bliss; and she had given that to her. Somehow she had managed to bring forth that most amazing smile from Ino.

The joy was infectious. Sakura felt it too, like liquid happiness suddenly spreading from her bones and her blood and all around her holding her in a state where she never wanted to stop; never to look away. To forsake everything just to keep her smiling…

Ino giggled suddenly, a reflexive action to dissipate her nervousness from before. Blue eyes settled on Saku again and it was still bright. There was something ecstatic in the blonde.

Her hand touched Saku’s wrist and drew his arm forward. A marker moved momentarily across the skin and then starlit orbs settled on green once more. “Then. I’ll let you get to work.” She said in understanding releasing Saku’s arm, “I have a job to get to too.”

Ino was truly gorgeous then. It completely took Saku back at that time, “Please call me! I’m free this weekend if you are!” Then she was gone, a trail of light and bliss left behind in her wake. A contagious joy that filtered and spread to Sakura as well. She glanced down at her arm, and blanched.

Ino had written her phone number in sharpie on Saku’s arm… now what was she supposed to do?! Did she bring a sweater with her?! She thought she did, darn this might be difficult now!

Sasu watched the exchange with some small amount of awe. First off… Ino looked sexy for a moment there. She was also really, really forward… possible more so than Naru. Naru may grab guys by the balls, but Ino demanded up front to be dated; Naru just screwed with guys heads.

It truly boggled his mind.

Sasu crossed the street to meet up with Sakura after Ino had gone on ahead. Sakura’s face was still slightly pink from her encounter. She also was looking over the quick marker strokes Ino had made across her arm, marking Saku as hers.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Sakura nearly shrieked not noticing that Sasu had fallen into step beside her. “Geez,” Sasu winced at the marker marks. There was no way Sakura could wear her short-sleeved shirts with that on her arm. Ino would know for sure then, if she hadn’t realized it then. “Do you even have a sweater?”

“Yeah, I’ll borrow one from one of the other floors before I get to the studio.” Sakura breathed, green eyes still slightly unfocused as she gazed at her arm, like she was somehow awestruck by it.

Sasuke felt a muscle near his right eye twitch. If he didn’t know better he’d have guessed that in those few moments Sakura was genuinely smitten with Ino. “I had… no idea she had that side her.” Sakura breathed, looking up from her arm towards the sky. The color of that pale blue sky… it kind of resembled her eyes too, didn’t it…

“Hey. Snap out of it.” Sasu growled, attempting to bring her back to reality. Sakura nodded and tried to focus her attention ahead of her. “You’ll have to at least call her to say you’re sorry and you can’t go out with her.”

“What?!” Sakura suddenly looked shocked and appalled by the idea.

“Well you’re not actually going to go out with her are you?!” Sasu asked incredulous.

“Well… no, I guess not, but,” Sakura stopped herself, and trailed off to the side. Groaning in something not unlike disappointment and resignation. Sasu frowned and decided to say nothing more on the subject. But the facts stood.

Like this, things could get really very messy. And Ino would find out about Sakura, one way or another, sooner or later.

But no…

“Sakura!!”

Sasu had entered ahead of Sakura who had gone to borrow a sweater to hide the marker on her arm. Ino had been there and been in an awfully good mood. It had been almost scary; she was so very chipper, it wasn’t entirely like her.

She was also giggling about some special secret, but wouldn’t tell. Sasuke had a terrible theory over what it concerned. Ino before was more laughing and less spacy… no way the blonde girl was smitten with a guy who had pink hair. But apparently she was, laws of physics be damned.

As soon as Sakura set foot in the studio Ino launched herself at the girl in a huge hug. “Sakura, guess what happened to me, just a bit earlier today?!”

“Uh… what was that, Ino?” Sakura asked her voice hitching higher than usual, either intentionally or for fear of being discovered immediately by how close her body type was to ‘Saku’s.

“I was being harassed by these thugs right?! Then this hot guy dashes through and saves me!” Ino gushed happily, oblivious to Sakura’s expression of chagrin. “He was soo cool!! His name is Saku! He’s so great!”

“I was totally embarrassed, since I was totally hitting on him after a moment! But he said YES!! I gave him my phone number too! I hope he calls me back! I think he might like me too! You know he knew my name?! It must be fate or something!!”

Ino probably could have gone on all day from the sounds of it. But she was forced to stop… and start again when Naru decided to poke her head in the dressing room. “Oh, what happened? What’d I miss?”

“Naru! You’ll never believe what happened to me!” And proceeded to tell the story once more with every gory detail. Frankly Sasuke was getting a bit annoyed. Naru looked surprised but totally supportive if her vocal reactions were anything to go on.

Glancing over at the girl, ‘boy’, in question Sasuke noted the conflicted emotions across Sakura’s face. She looked like she was trying to be happy for Ino. But also resigned, and sad in a way.

There something else hidden under a third layer behind emerald eyes. Some deeper form of caring; Sakura… really liked Ino. That was obvious, they were best friends after all. Was Sasuke truly seeing what he thought was there?

“Wow, Ino! You should get guys more often!” Naru noted in approval, “You look so sexy and hot right now when you’re happy!”

“Oh I’m so sorry Naru! I can’t be yours tonight!” Ino said turning away from her fellow blonde, “Oh Saku! I only have eyes for you! Just take me now!”

Naru laughed at the obvious hyperbole. “No! I’m serious! I think I really really like this guy!” Ino sighed, “He was so cool! You know his hands weren’t sweaty at all, they were so warm and strong. Slender, but you know supportive. There was caring in his touch! It was really amazing!”

Yeah Sasuke was gonna be sick soon. Somehow Ino saw absolutely no resemblance in Sakura. That much was just amazing to him. Naru wasn’t saying anything either, not like she had a reason to either, since Sakura wasn’t.

At the end of work, Ino was still sighing and making offhand comments about her green-eyed savior. “Hey, Sakura!” Ino called before they left for the day, “Wish me luck this weekend, right?”

“Right! Good luck!” Sakura smiled after her friend. Sakura looked somewhat happy even, by the end of the hour no sadness remained in her eyes or expression. No resignation; and Sasuke wondered briefly if the girl had somehow forgot about a very important fact.

“You still have to break up with her you know.”

Sakura nearly shrieked for the second time that day; “Sasu! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” she hissed to him.

“As Saku. You know you still have to tell her you can’t see her again.” Sasu impressed upon her. Sakura’s expression fell for a moment and she turned away. Sasu felt his muscles tense, “You’re not really going to accept.”

Sakura’s face flushed slightly at the accusation and Sasuke felt himself pale. There was just no way… “Are you?” he pressed, but it sounded more like the dreaded affirmation he was waiting for.

Green eyes glanced up at him sheepishly, and she turned away again. The girl’s cheeks had turned a becoming shade of crimson. “It’s just,” her voice quivered, she was flustered now and embarrassed. There was also sadness in her feminine tremor.

“I know it’s strange.” She paused again fumbling for words. “But you know… after today… It’s like… I-I suddenly find Ino… really attractive…” she trailed off, unsure how to proceed and wondering if she should. Sasuke froze. He had hard enough.

It wasn’t right. Sakura… she really liked Ino…

---

Review.