1,329Fangirling
By Laura-chan
Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura, minor couples.
Rating: T
Summary: 'I won't fangirl Uchiha Sasuke, I WON'T FANGIRL Uchiha Sasuke, I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT FANGIRL Uchiha Sasuke, who cares if he has a god-like body, amazing eyes, soft black hair... Crap.'
Disclaimer: Of course everything related to Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, praise his genius! OOC characters and plot do belong to me.
Warning: I am Italian, English is not my first language, please forgive my mistakes.
CHAPTER XI
Summer had come and passed.
It had been exciting and fun: I had trained with Tsunade-shishou and spent two weeks at Shikamaru's beach house with the others. We went to the beach, we played and trained together: it was the first time I was in a group so united and it felt wonderful.
The situation had brightened up considerably when Sasuke arrived one day, with his brother: apparently, they had a mission concerning a village on the coast and decided to come and see us for a day. With Sasuke there I felt complete: the last time I had seen him was when he brought me home the day I finished reading the Uchiha scrolls about the Sharingan.
There I put also my matchmaking plans in action: with Ino's and Tenten's help I was able, with an excuse, to lock Hinata and Naruto inside a room. By the time we decided to open the door, they were kissing passionately.
The one thing which alarmed me was when I once, back in Konohagakure, found Karin outside my window, a camera in her hands, recording while I was changing – that perverted woman! Unfortunately, none of my friends seemed particularly worried about it.
Sasuke had shrugged and said that Karin was obsessed but harmless after all: but the following day, Naruto told me he'd seen Sasuke threaten Karin and confiscated a cassette. Should I feel relieved, flattered, grateful, or simply worried?
However, time passed too fast and soon it was time to start school again: that Monday morning, when I sat in my usual place between Sasuke and Naruto, I was somewhat happy to start school again, and even Rock Lee following me everywhere I went didn't manage to darken my mood.
That term we started Psycology Training with Morino Ibiki, a former Jounin of the Torture and Interrogation Team: my mentor has once told me about him that he was a ruthless shinobi, but the best in that.
The first thing Morino-sensei did was letting us see the horrible signs of torture on his bald head, and that shook me to the core: Naruto seemed intrigued, while Sasuke was doodling looking bored as usual – and it atonished me how they could be fascinated or indifferent regarding something so inhuman as torture.
Other than that, the first day back to school went along fine.
Back at home, my mom was smiling widely, waving a white letter. "Do you know what I have here?"
I raised an eyebrow and grabbed an orange before sitting down at the table and started peeling it. "No. Should I?"
Mom rolled her eyes and sat in front of me. "This is the invitation to the annual ball held by the Hokage: your father was invited and so we're going too!"
Now, that was interesting: I always heard from Tsunade-shishou that balls were a boring thing, but I was curious to attend one myself. And now I had the occasion. More over, most of my friends - being members of important families of the village like the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, the Yamanaka, the Akimichi, the Nara and the Aburame – were probably going to the ball too.
As I imagined, the next day all that Ino talked about was what to wear at the ball.
"I should wear blue." She told me, "Just like my eyes."
"I can see you in blue." I admitted and smiled. "Maybe we can go shopping this afternoon? I don't have a dress to wear-"
"You WHAT!?" Ino interrupted me. "We MUST go shopping! How can you not have a dress?"
I looked around me for a moment, checking that no one heard her outburst, then whispered. "I never had the occasion to wear one, ok? That's it..." after all, it was the truth.
So it was decided: after school the four of us – Ino, Hinata, Tenten and me – went to a shop where Ino was very well known. The ball was a formal event that required formal and traditional clothes, so the dressmaker and her assistants took our measures, saying that our kimono would be ready in three-four days.
The week after finally arrived and I entered the Yondaime Hokage's mansion feeling anxious and excited: it wasn't the first time I had been invited to formal events, being my father a famous surgeon and my teacher one of the Sannin, but this one felt somehow… different. For one, I knew some of the people, and second, I was curious to meet the famous Yondaime, who was known to be one of the most powerful shinobi in the world.
I wore a comfortable, but beautiful, black kimono with pink cherry blossoms, my namesake, on the lower part of the dress and the sleeves, a dark red obi with silver linings was wrapped around my waist; I was trying hard not to stumble because I wasn't used to walk with the zori, and my sandals were quite high and elegant, in their black and silver colour.
As soon as we entered the majestic hall of the mansion, three maids took off my mother's and my han-eri (a cloth covering our necks, mine was red, my mother's blue) and my father's jacket.
We weren't late, but many people were already gathered in the hall, drinking leisurely and talking lazily.
I watched everything with a fascinated look, as I fanned myself with my uchiwa: when my father saw a colleague of his, my mother and I followed him. The first half-an-hour was incredibly boring, as talks about financial problems bored me to tears.
An elegant couple came closer to our group: the man was unbelievably handsome (almost as handsome as Sasuke), with blond messy hair and happy blue eyes, the woman was very beautiful and her long red hair was in a ponytail. Judging by their clothes - a silky red kimono with orange, blue and black designs for the woman; leather fitting trousers and a haori both black and a long white cape with red flame-like designs on the bottom for the man – they were important people.
The adults around me bowed deeply and, confused, I did the same.
"Hokage-sama, Hime-sama." My father greeted.
I gasped silently: so, this was the famous Yondaime Hokage! And the woman must have been his wife…
"Please, Haruno-san, everyone, stand up." The Yondaime smiled. He saw me and his eyes twinkled. "This must be your daughter."
My father flushed and nodded; I blushed too and bowed again.
"Please Sakura-san, stand up: my name is Namikaze Minato and this is my wife Kushina."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, standing up and looking at them straight in the eyes. They both didn't seem to be offended by the action so I relaxed.
"Tsunade-sama told us a lot about you." Kushina-sama began "She really has much trust in you."
"I hope I won't betray that trust." I reply diplomatically.
"Jiraiya-sensei also says you have a mean hook." Hokage-sama snickered, but I noticed that he called Jiraiya-sama "sensei". He seemed to notice my perplexity and smiled.
"Yes, Jiraiya was my sensei."
I knew I looked surprised.
Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama talked with the adults for a while and then said their good-byes and moved to greet someone else.
Suddenly someone patted me on the shoulder: I whirled around and gasped, smiling happily as I recognized the person before me.
"Sasuke!"
He grinned lazily: I don't need to say that he looked as handsome as ever, with his black hakama and haori, his clan's crest sewed on his right shoulder and (I guessed) his back.
"You look bored." My teammate said and I rolled my eyes.
"Because I am: I mean, I've met the Hokage, but other than that…" I didn't finish. "At least you're here. Have you seen anyone we know?"
He shrugged. "I haven't really searched: we just arrived."
"We?"
I looked behind him and saw Fugaku-sama, Mikoto-san and Itachi-san standing close together: Fugaku-sama was talking to a man I didn't know, while Mikoto-san and Itachi-san were looking in our direction – when they waved at me I waved back.
They walked closer and Mikoto-san smiled gently at me. "How are you, Sakura-chan?"
"Fine, thank you Mikoto-san." I bowed respectfully. "It's nice to see you again."
Sasuke's mother beamed and I reached behind me to pull on my mother's kimono: she turned around and looked at me quizzically.
"Okaa-san." I said "I want to introduce to you Uchiha Sasuke, who is a classmate of mine, and his mother and brother, Uchiha Mikoto and Itachi."
My mother smiled and bowed low. "Of course I've heard of you, Sasuke, and of the Uchiha clan: it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Mikoto-san giggled. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet the mother of such a delightful girl as Sakura."
The two women continued for a bit like that, exchanging stupid pleasantries, but I knew from my mother's face that she liked Mikoto and I hoped it was the same for Sasuke's mother: Sasuke and I exchanged suspicious stares.
"I think they're going to keep it going for some time." I muttered to him.
"I agree." He nodded and cautiously we backed away: Itachi-san had disappeared long ago.
"Do you come often to this kind of things?" I asked, watching as Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, yes." He shrugged. "After all my father is the head of the clan so he's always invited to formal events, balls and such. Annoying if you ask me."
I rolled my eyes and giggled. "There is something you don't find annoying, Sasuke?"
He turned to me and smirked. "Yes, there is."
I raised an eyebrow and smiled "And it's…?"
Sasuke was about to answer, when we were interrupted by a loud yell: "Sakuraaaa, Sakuraaaa-chaaaan! Sasuuukeee-kun!"
We turned around and a blonde form crashed into me. "Ino!" I gasped, trying to regain my breathing.
"Wow Sakura, your kimono is wonderful!"
"Thanks, you look amazing too." And it was true: Ino was truly a beautiful girl, and her dark blue kimono matched perfectly with her azure eyes. Her hair was held up and she looked like a porcelain doll or one of those elegant geisha: I lacked the grace she had and felt uneasy with her in front of Sasuke.
"You look very, very nice too." Ino smiled and then smirked at Sasuke. "You look fetching as always, Sasuke-kun: I think I saw five or six maids fainting when you entered."
I laughed, while Sasuke scowled.
Ino's parents came up behind her and Sasuke and I bowed, introducing ourselves: I remembered Ino's mother and she did me – as soon as I told her where my mother was, she disappeared in her and Mikoto-san's direction.
"Uchiha, Haruno, Yamanaka."
"Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, Sa-Sasuke-san!"
Neji and Hinata-chan were walking towards us, the first one with a grumpy expression, the latter waving and smiling.
Ino noticed Shikamaru, who was hiding behind his father, and dragged him to the group, followed by Chouji; suddenly I found myself hugged by Rock Lee and only Tenten managed to take him off of me; Shino and Kiba soon appeared and our group was almost complete.
We talked between ourselves for a hour, then I noticed someone was missing.
"Hey, where's Naruto?"
Everyone looked at me oddly and then turned to stare at Sasuke.
"What?" he grunted. "Dobe doesn't come to these gatherings, not invited."
I couldn't believe it. "Why? Why isn't his family invited?"
Sasuke shrugged, but seemed unconfortable. "Dunno."
I wasn't able to enjoy the rest of the evening, as my thoughts were concentrated on my blonde classmate: it wasn't fair- why couldn't Naruto enjoy this evening as one of us?
I was blankly listening to Ino babbling something about Shikamaru's laziness when, looking around me, I noticed Sasuke was missing.
"Hey guys." I called, catching the others' attention. "Do you know where Sasuke is?"
They seemed as perplexed as me. "I dunno." Shikamaru answered, while Chouji and Rock Lee shrugged.
Neji instead was thoughtful. "I think I saw him enter that door."
I looked in the direction he was pointing to: a serious-looking shinobi with black sunglasses was standing guard to a semi-hidden wooden door in the back of the room.
"Are you sure?" Ino asked Neji, who glared at her. "Of course I am." He hissed.
"Mmm…" I murmured… "We need a distraction…"
§
"Hello handsome…" Ino smiled slyly. The guard looked at her appreciately as she traced a finger down his chest. "What are you doing here all alone? Such a handsome man as you…"
Kami-sama, Ino was a born actress: she had the man wrapped around her little finger in just a few seconds. It didn't take much for Neji to move behind him and have him unconscious.
Swiftly, before anyone could notice, we opened the door and found ourselves in a dark hallway. I turned my head right and left.
"Which way?" I asked Hinata-chan. She activated her byakugan and stayed silent for a few seconds.
"There are two people in a room: we have to go left."
Our group followed Hinata as she guided us through a maze of winding passages, passing closed doors and elevators: after ten minutes, we finally arrived at the end of a hallway, a blade of light exiting from a semi-closed door.
We walked closer but stopped when we heard two familiar voices coming from the room in front of us.
"Stop wallowing in self-pity." Said the first one, seemingly cold but tinged with simpathy.
"You're the one to talk!" answered the second one hotly. "Who was the one complaining that his father cared only about his brother?"
"You didn't see me locking myself in my room." Replied the first voice, the one I knew belonged to Sasuke. "You're being stupid – if you don't like the situation then go to your dad, he'll understand."
"You don't understand." I could see in my mind Naruto shaking his head. "He's the Hokage, you know…" sarcasm dripped from every sillabe, "… he hasn't time for his own son…and Okaa-san is always with him."
I heard a collective intake of breath: from my part, I was sure I had stopped breathing.
"What about your parents?" I asked, curiously: I've never heard Naruto talk about his family and I wondered why. When his expression faded to grimy sadness I immediately knew I did a huge mistake.
He tried to smile, but failed miserably. "My dad is very busy and hasn't much time for me, often he isn't even home; and my mom..." he hesitated, then flashed a look at Sasuke "...my mother is dead."
"Well, my father is the head of the Uchiha Police and has no more time for me than yours has for you: but Naruto, your father shows he cares. Being the Hokage isn't a walk in the park, you know it!"
"Teme, they weren't there for my birthday. My fucking birthday! All I had was a phone call from my parents, telling me they were sorry they couldn't make it AGAIN because they were ONCE AGAIN busy with whatever they were doing, but all the same they wished me a happy birthday! And now I'm stuck here, because I can't take part to this stupid ball, or everyone would recognize me!"
I couldn't take it anymore: I heard Ino hissing at me "Sakura! Come back here!", Neji and Shino tried to stop me, but I was too angry. Angry that Naruto was suffering in silence and that he hadn't confided in me; somewhat, I felt betrayed.
I slammed the door open and caught Sasuke and Naruto sitting on a bed, probably Naruto's, their heads snapping in my direction, eyes wide.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out, while Sasuke said nothing but continued to gape at me. "Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?"
"We followed Sasuke." I answered coldly.
"WE?!" my teammates looked behind me, the others appearing silently at my shoulders.
I was too angry and too hurt to be thinking clearly: I walked to the bed, pulled my arm back and punched Naruto on the cheek. He fell out of the bed from the impact and I was just getting ready to beat him some more, when Sasuke wrapped an arm around my waist, a hand gripping my wrist, restraining me.
"You IDIOT!" I shouted at Naruto, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? Why DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE HURTING?!"
"Sakura, stop it!" gritted out Sasuke, who was actually sweating from holding me back.
"SHUT UP UCHIHA!" I screamed, completely out of control, "Let me go or I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN!" I felt dark satisfaction when I saw him wince, however he didn't let me go, instead held me tighter: and, if in any other situation I'd have blushed, then it was really getting on my nerves.
"I TRUSTED YOU!" I screamed at Naruto, "I TRUSTED YOU WITH MY PROBLEMS, MY TROUBLES, I OPENED MY HEART TO YOU, NARUTO!" I was still wriggling, fighting to get free from Sasuke's grip, but I already knew he was stronger than me. "I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"
"We ARE friends!" he answered back, but I interrupted him.
"THEN, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE HURTING?" I didn't even notice I had started crying, tears tracing paths down my cheeks, as I finally fell back into Sasuke, stopping moving. I could only stare at Naruto, who was watching me with wide, guilty azure eyes.
"Why didn't you trust me enough with this? Did you think I'd treat you any different?"
"You-you mean…" the blonde started hesitantly, "You mean you don't care I'm the Hokage's son?"
"WHO THE HELL CARES?" I roared, and I was sure everyone in the house could hear me. "DO YOU THINK SASUKE CARES? Do you really think ANY of us would care that you're the Yondaime's son?"
I felt drained and had no more strenght to fight with Sasuke, who just held me gently as I collapsed on the bed.
"I thought we – you, me and Sasuke – we had a bond. I could feel it."
I couldn't stop crying: it had been awhile since I'd felt that weak, but at the moment I didn't care.
"Instead you lied to me! You told me your mother was dead. I wasn't asking you to tell me right away… but I thought, after that fight in front of Tsunade-shishou and the others, after this summer… I thought I could trust you…" my voice got lower and lower, and soon it was only a whisper.
Silence settled between us.
I stared down at the covers of the bed and I could feel the gazes of everyone else in the room. Sasuke still had an arm around me and now I was grateful for the support because I was sure I'd have toppled down on the floor, hadn't it been for him.
How I loved him.
A voice broke the silence.
"N-Naruto-kun." I was proud of Hinata, her shy voice fully audible in the room. "I-I may understand why you decided to hide your true identity to us… in the beginning. But, Naruto-kun… aren't we your friends? Do you really think we would have started treating you differently had we known you were the Hokage's son?"
Naruto's liquid gaze moved to Hinata, staring at her like she was water and he a thirsty man, then his azure eyes looked at everyone of us, standing silently in his room. He began, quietly, so different from his usual self.
"Uzumaki is my okaa-san's maiden name. I started elementary school as Namikaze Naruto: I was happy to start school, because that meant meeting other children like me and making friends." He was still for a moment, then shook his head. "That didn't go exactly as planned."
We waited for Naruto to continue: I was distantly aware of being, still, in Sasuke's arms, his fingers gently entwining with my own and squeezing my hand.
"My Otou-san wasn't Hokage yet, but he was the most respected shinobi of Konohagakure and many were sure he was going to succeed to Sandaime-sama as the Yondaime. So, I was always at the center of the attention: the other children tried to be my friends only because of my father's fame, the teachers were always corteous and gentle…" Naruto sighed. "I wasn't completely satisfied, but I had… 'friends'. I was happy." He smiled bitterly; he lowered his eyes and then raised them, looking right at Sasuke behind me. "Then, I met the teme over there."
"Hn." I could feel Sasuke roll his eyes, but he said nothing more.
Naruto laughed loud. "He was the first one who tried to punch me!"
"Tried?" Sasuke scoffed. "I did punch you. And you cried like a baby."
"Did not!" exclaimed my blond friend, looking offended. Then he smiled. "Well, we fought the first times we met. But then we became friends."
I knew why they became friends: both had problems with their fathers (Sasuke's looked down on him, Naruto's was too busy for him) and they were very strong-willed.
"So, I realized that it was wrong to be satisfied with the others' false friendship, because they weren't really my friends, they cared for me only because I was Minato Namikaze's son. And it hurt." He gripped his shirt over his heart. "They didn't see me for myself, but they saw my father's shadow. They didn't care about me, all they cared about was that I was the son of a famous shinobi."
Again, he smiled bitterly.
"And it hurt."
I wanted to move and hug him, hug him tightly and tell him that I didn't care he was the Yondaime's son, but for me he was simply Naruto, only Naruto.
"So, I asked my father to change school, I wanted to go to the one Sasuke went. My parents decided to change my surname into Uzumaki. It worked: no one recognized me as Minato Namikaze's son. Of course, no one but Sasuke.
Then, my father was elected Hokage: I was really happy for him, I was proud of being his son. But… the limited time he had for me before shortened even more: my okaa-san followed him always, supported him especially the first years, which were the hardest for him. But still now… they haven't much time for me. I know they love me, but… I wish we could spend more time together! They're always away and I have to stay in this enormous house by myself! I didn't want to reveal my true identity because I was afraid…"
He wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "I was afraid that you all would leave me."
I stifled a sob as I began crying: I felt weak, exhausted physically and mentally. Again, the urge to hug him went through me, but my weariness and the warmth of Sasuke's body behind me had me unmoving.
It was Hinata who made the first step: daringly, she crawled on the bed and then hugged him tightly – she was crying too. I looked around me and I saw the other girls, Ino and Tenten, trying to hide their tears and red noses; the guys stood stoically, but sadness was in everyone's eyes.
Hinata was shouting at Naruto, I couldn't believe that the shy Hyuuga heiress was able to do something like that, but he just held her and she cried and punched weakly his chest.
"Sasuke." I called in a hoarse voice; his arms tightened around me and I knew he was listening. "Please, take me to him… I don't think I'm able to walk now."
"Sakura…" he started, but I cut him off.
"I want to hug him." My voice cracked on the word 'hug' and I was sure Sasuke noticed it too. He helped me to the other side of the bed, where Naruto and Hinata were embracing.
The blond noticed me and whispered. "Sakura-chan…"
I left Sasuke's arms and held Naruto close to me, capturing Hinata too in the embrace: soon I felt the warmth of other bodies at my back, and heard Ino and Tenten sniffle quietly as they joined Hinata and me in hugging Naruto.
"Girls…" Naruto murmured, awed and embarassed.
"Oh, shut up!" Tenten exclaimed in a small voice "You know girls are emotional."
We stayed like that for a while, until the four of us stopped crying. I leaned back, finding myself once again in Sasuke's arms. Ino and Tenten went to stand with Shikamaru and Neji, while Hinata stayed sitting down with Naruto.
Silence settled again between us.
Fangirling XI – End
To be Continued
Author's Note: That's the second bomb. Part I at least. In the beginning I planned to write more but it got longer than expected… To be sincere, even next chapter will be a bomb… yeah, I'm sorry (not), ahahah! I know I'm evil.
Many of you keep asking me if Sasuke likes Sakura and so on… I'd love to reply, but I don't want to spoil the story.
I made my calculations so… Fangirling will be over with chapter 13 and there will be an epilogue :)
Many people wrote to me saying that they are in love with their best friends too … it happens, because they're always with us and they understand us the best. I had a crush on my male best friend, but then I got over it, luckily.
Reviews' Corner: I'm flattered by every single one of your reviews and I love you all very much. Even if I don't reply to everyone, know that I appreciate your support. So keep reading and reviewing :D
Misunderstood Kunoichi, Kaoru-chan (sorry, no lemon for Fangirling), benswife, sweet-taboos, MelanieElWarten, kirei na yukki, Odat, itachi-is-mine, sakuno101, Neko Grafic, Akane Naomi, Miharu, Silvain Star,ssdfdt5, mk-chan 160, Wingless-Crying-Angel (he hadn't been training for 5 hours, he was waiting for Sakura to finish- isn't he a sweetie?), sakura5558, ChristinaAngel, AzNAnGeL07, yourdarkdesire, SakuraUchiha14, rayray-rchl-chan, Sakura-chanUchiha, -chan, jessie6491, pichu2001, Mariegurl (mh, no, I develop the characters trying to use their "real" personalities), Dragonheart6, .Sakura, you-stole-all-the-names, Mistress-Of-Beauty, prettypopularchick, Arcaina (it's always a pleasure to receive a review from you), brightfairy8, serenity uchiha, Lt. RaIQ of the Boondock Mafia, Winter's Holly, weird dreams r us, Poison's Ivy, , Tenshi-Chan008, uchihasakura285, brightfairy8, silverice, Storm Midnight, Mittelab, Hina-hime, xteenuh, klad359, VeRnAgUaY, Snickerdoodle-sensei, Kiwako, Dark Shining Light, summerlover1, gladdecease (I can't believe you read my mind…), Pink Crescent Moon, PenInHand, gothgirl2, C.A.M.E.O. (no, he wasn't doing that on purpose, he just had a shower and forgot to put his shirt on, drool), unbeatablehinata, Exhale Vanilla Lace, NinjaNita, Ribs On the Run, JadeMesmerizedByOnyx, SpiffyCookie, SpillietehInkie, lalagirl555x, RunningBarefootAtMidnight, sasusakufan2357, NikkiTheHyugaChick, lioness91, Heartless Ghostie, SasuxSakufan, uchihakiriko, Some Scribbles, Maye Uchiha, Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90, Evil Tobi, Yoshikuni-Chiaki, newbie-otaku, french cries, tast3the3RAiiNBOW, kattylin, sweet girl, SasukexXxSakura, Michelle, livelovelaugh167, JellyJelly, Selene98, Cute23Flower, cherry-chan, ramenprincess, mintxrain, Sakura Angel 4eva, sand tessen, Princess Bhria, sakuraharunofan, still-thinking-of-a-name, 2hott4u, shin, inuyashaHELP, KoolKittyKat, Bacaforeva, TaimaHawk12, narutoalicefan, TeenageCrisis, Renee.
Sorceress Cassandra: wow, I loved your review! Thanks for saying my story is a diamond, you really flattered me :D, I must agree with you, up to the Chuunin Exams I didn't like Sakura very much, especially in the beginning when she was so mean to Naruto and so annoying, always running after Sasuke! After the Chuunin Exams (especially after she cut off her hair) I started to respect her and also Kishimoto-sensei made her grow up. She's the best out there, no offense to Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Temari, etc.. fans. I think that Sasuke's leave really helped her mature. :)