Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The Sweetest Victory	By : mischiefmaker Category: Naruto > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 1839 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
A/N: Err, don�t hate me? *sheepish* Cockkage-sama
is the intellectual property of the wonderful and awesome Myrafur and was
borrowed with her blessings. PLZ TO NOT BE COMING AT ME WITH PITCHFORKS THNX.
:P
Warnings: awkwardness, discussions of sexuality
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its
characters as it is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do, however, think
team seven needs to just jump each other and get it over with. :3

The Sweetest Victory
Chapter 6: Libra: A Natural
Born Diplomat?

As the three of them stood in the alley, awkwardly
shifting their gazes amongst themselves, Naruto couldn�t decide what he thought
of the situation. No one had spoken yet, and he was mildly disappointed there
was no sudden gust of wind blowing fallen leaves between them - for dramatic
effect - as they each waited for someone else to break the uncomfortable
silence.

Sakura looked more tired than anything, but he didn�t miss
the way she nervously chewed her bottom lip. Naruto could only imagine what she
was thinking right then. He didn�t think she was doing an inner victory dance
or anything, since that cute, little smirk she gets when she shows him up was
absent.

To Sasuke�s credit, he hadn�t taken off yet. Naruto wasn�t
too sure he�d be able to do the same if their positions had been switched.
Well, except for the fact that he lacked the uptightness his teammate possessed
and that none of this would even be an issue if he�d been the one caught in the
jutsu. There would probably have been some eye rolling and name calling, and
then everything would�ve gone back to business as usual. He�d be a little
offended if he really had the time to think about it.

But there Sasuke stood, even if he looked a bit like a
caged animal. �At least he�s not sporting wood anymore,� Naruto thought
morbidly.

�Okay,� he blurted out, effectively cutting through the
tense silence and drawing the attention of his teammates. His voice echoed
loudly in the dark alley, and Naruto winced before continuing in a much lower
volume. �Err, great job, Sakura-chan. You sure showed us! Come on, Sasuke. I�ll
buy you a drink�.. Or twelve,� he added under his breath as he tried to usher
his friend out of the alley.

�Get off!� Sasuke demanded as he jerked his arm out
of Naruto�s grasp. �I'm not done here yet.�

He sighed and considered reminding his friend that now
wasn�t the time to flip out - it was time to fall back, regroup, strategize,
and � some other bullshit they�d learned in the academy about losing battles;
he was sure Sasuke remembered it. He�d just drag it out of him, and then they�d
come up with a plan.

But Sasuke�s harsh reply seemed to have snapped Sakura out
of any awkwardness she might've been feeling. Her expression quickly shifted to
one Naruto was much more used to seeing aimed toward himself � the one that
said she was clearly unimpressed.

�I don't see how I could help you with that,� she
said flatly.

Naruto blinked once, twice, then promptly slapped himself
in the forehead, because seriously, she did not just go there.

Apparently, Sasuke decided to ignore the remark
altogether. He crossed his arms over his chest and simply stated, �We're still
ahead, you know.�

�Like hell!� she yelled, eyes ablaze.

�And,� he added before she could keep going. �It's
our turn next.�

�You wanna continue? Fine! And since neither of you seemed
too upset by this one, I guess I�ll have to get serious!�

Naruto could only watch in disbelief as his teammates
argued. Serious disbelief. Sakura-chan was yelling - yelling! - at
Sasuke and being just as stubborn, too! It made him wonder if that genjutsu she
cast on him had really sent him to an alternate dimension where Sasuke really
wanted to sex him up and Sakura allowed her ego to get in the way of her common
sense.

He quickly performed another kai just to be sure.

When it had no effect, he grimaced. Sakura was way too
upset all of a sudden to simply shake hands and call a truce, and Sasuke....
Well, Naruto wondered if Sasuke even knew what a truce was. If things
continued like this� Immediately, his mind conjured an image of burning
buildings, busted roads, and suspension of duty for the three of them.

Naruto groaned. This had to end now, and he could only
think of one way. Making the decision, Naruto interrupted them.

�Uh, guys? Guys!� They glared at each other for two
long seconds but were thankfully quiet. When they finally turned their
attention on him, he continued. �I quit,� he said simply. �This has gone way
too far.�

�Fine,� Sasuke scoffed. �You just hold me back anyway.�

�That�s bullshit, and you know it!� Naruto snorted and
turned his eyes on Sakura. She was staring at him in shock, and he found
himself rather annoyed by that. He could be rational, damn it!

She met his gaze for a few seconds before glancing back at
Sasuke. Then suddenly, her rigid stance sagged as she sighed, �Okay, you win. I
quit.�

Apparently, it wasn�t the response Sasuke was expecting.

�What?! You can�t quit!�

�Sure I can,� she shrugged. �Tomorrow I�ll go ask Lee out
to dinner or whatever.�

Sasuke fumed, his tightly clenched jaw muscles standing
out in hard contrast to the rest of his face. �Maybe you should take Dead Last
instead - since you�re both such cowards and all,� he sneered.

Naruto opened his mouth to deny the accusation � being tired
of being at odds with their teammate was not the same thing as being scared! �
but Sakura suddenly appeared at Naruto�s side and looped her arm with his. She
looked utterly pissed.

�If that�s what you want, Sasuke, we�ll go on a date. And
you know what? It�ll be fun!�

Sasuke turned and disappeared in a flurry of leaves, but
not before Naruto saw the look of disgust on his face. And judging by Sakura�s
expression, she�d seen it as well.

The blond exhaled loudly, and, running a hand through his
hair, he glanced down at the girl still on his arm. Sakura was staring,
apparently lost in thought or surprise or� something, at the place where
Sasuke had just been standing.

��Err, Sakura-chan?�
He lightly nudged her side with his elbow as he said it and saw a pained
expression quickly pass over her face as she disentangled her arm from his.

�How about tomorrow, �kay? I�m tired.�

It was an obvious brush-off, but Naruto could�ve cared
less considering he wasn�t even asking about the date. To be honest, he wasn�t
in the mood to deal with either of them anymore that night.

�Tomorrow then.�

Sakura nodded and gave him a weak smile before
disappearing herself.

Naruto sighed, finding himself alone in the alleyway, and
with the odd mixture of lingering irritation and growing relief, he started
toward his apartment.

~*~

Naruto awoke the following day to incessant
knocking of the most annoying kind. Grumbling, he rolled out of bed and
had to dig through the mess of tangled sheets, clothes, and pillows on the floor
until he found the pajama pants he�d kicked off during the night. And yeah, if
he hadn�t kept flopping around unable to sleep they wouldn�t have kept bunching
and twisting uncomfortably in the first place, but that was beside the point.

The person at the door knocked again and louder than
before.

�Hang on, damn it! I�m comin�,� he barked, hopping on one
leg across the living room as he shoved the other into his pants. As soon as
they were on, he answered the door and was surprised to discover an
uncomfortable looking Sakura on his doorstep. Glancing out at the street, he
noticed for the first time that it wasn�t morning anymore.

�Um, we never decided on a time last night, so��

�Eh?� His mind groped blindly for an explanation for a few
moments until realization dawned on him. �Oh! Right.� Their date � and
boy did that sound weird in his head! �Uh, what time is it?� he asked, rubbing
the sleep from his eyes.

�2:30,� Sakura offered, still looking like she�d rather be
anywhere but there. She was pointedly not looking at him, and, having a
bizarre sense of d�j� vu, he quickly glanced down at himself to confirm that
yes, Cockkage-sama had taken the morning off from embarrassing him. He was
decent, damn it! Naruto scratched the back of his head, having no idea what her
problem was this time. If anything, he should be the one feeling awkward
after last night, he thought, mildly irritated, but there she was, chewing her
lip and looking absolutely miserable.

�I didn�t realize you�d still be sleeping. Just pick me up
later whenever you�re ready, okay?� she said and began moving toward the steps.

"Hold up. We can go ahead and go now if ya want,� he
offered. �Just lemme get dressed first.� Naruto saw her warily glance at his
bare chest before meeting his gaze. �Come on. You can watch tv or something.
I�ll be quick.�

Sakura stood there a moment before finally nodding and
following him inside. He didn�t offer her a drink or wait for her to take a
seat on his beat up, old couch before slipping into the bedroom. She knew where
everything was in his apartment already, and now that he was waking up, his own
discomfort was beginning to make itself known.

Sniffing an underarm, Naruto quickly gathered some clean
clothes and headed into the bathroom. As he slipped under the hot spray of the
shower and began lathering himself up, he couldn�t stop his mind from dwelling
on what was about to happen. He was finally going on a date with
Sakura-chan. He should�ve been happy. He should�ve been planning all the
witty things he was going to say. He should�ve been jerking off to the very idea
of it, but it was kind of hard to will his favorite mental images of Sakura -
wearing nothing but her shoes and shin guards - after she... well, after last
night anyway.

Not to mention the fact that going out with him was her
punishment for losing. Naruto made a mental note to punch Sasuke in the face
for that, because damn. He scrubbed himself harder as he grew more and
more annoyed with the way things had turned out.

His pits had never been cleaner.

When he stepped into his living room dressed and
wet-headed a few minutes later, he found Sakura standing in the corner, poking
at one of his plants.

�This one new?� she asked without looking up.

�Nah, it used to be out on the balcony,� he answered
distractedly. �Err, so�.� Sakura finally turned away from the plant and glanced
up at him, and Naruto couldn�t think of any way to finish that sentence so he
didn�t.

Awkward silence followed, and Naruto hated it. Ever
since his early days at the academy he�d wanted to talk to her, befriend her
(and hoped for more eventually) and he�d done better than he ever really
expected. She truly was one of his best friends, and the idea that things were
uncomfortable between them made his stomach turn. He and Sakura had never had
trouble communicating since they�d been put on team seven together, and there
was just something inherently wrong about it being that way now.

So Naruto did what he did best: put on a smile and joked
about the situation.

�Guess we�re even now, huh?� He wasn�t sure, but he
thought her shoulders seemed to relax just a bit.

�No,� she answered a moment later. �You still have to pay
for our date.�

�Oh, we�re going to Ichiraku then? Great!� he grinned,
pulling out his trusty frog wallet to check his funds.

�Hey!� she protested but was half-smiling, and Naruto
couldn�t help but smile also. Maybe this wouldn�t be as bad as he�d imagined
after all.

It was, in fact, just short of being a total disaster, he
decided. The awkward silence returned just as soon as they made it out of his
apartment and Naruto realized they had nothing to talk about that didn�t
involve their team, training, or the last subject he wanted to talk about right
then: Sasuke.

Hmm, what could they talk about? Luckily, he didn�t
have to figure it out as a distraction made its appearance in the form of a
blonde best friend.

�Hey, Forehead, if you don�t come see me more, I�m going
to start thinking I�ve been replaced.� Everything about her radiated annoyance,
from the tone of her voice and the hand clutching the bag of takeout to her
other hand tapping impatiently at her hip. Everything but the smirk and wink
she threw his way, that is.

�I know, Pig. I�ve just been busy lately.� Sakura didn�t
seem to notice as her response to Ino was just as distracted as everything else
so far that day.

Ino was staring; that probably wasn�t a good thing.

�Okay, what�s going on?� she asked a moment later,
grinning like a cat. �You two didn�t accidentally see each other naked or
something did you?� She was enjoying this way too much.

Ha, if only!

�Ino!� Sakura growled. �Don�t you have someone else to
torture?�

�Yeah, yeah. You two are no fun anyway,� she answered with
a flippant wave of hand as she turned to leave. She then added over her
shoulder, �Loosen up or people are going to think you�re on an extremely
awkward first date or something.�

When complete silence greeted that comment, Ino whipped around
in shock. And holy crap, he�d never seen such a crazed look on her face before!

�Oh, please tell me that�s it!� She was practically
salivating. It was quite disturbing.

�Well�� Not really,� Sakura and Naruto answered in unison
before glancing at each other in surprise.

�No.� �Sorta,� they quickly amended.

Ino glanced from her to him and back again. �Right,� she
began slowly. �Well, I�ll see you later. Need to get this back to the shop �n
all.� She gestured toward her bag. �Details, Forehead, once you figure out what
the hell�s going on, and I won�t take no for an answer.� And with that, Ino
left them to their own discomfort.

�Hmph, some friend she was, and wow, Sakura was really
gonna tell her we�re on a date?� At that realization, Naruto turned
toward her only to catch the pained look on his teammate�s face.

�Sakura-chan?�

�Let�s just go,� she quickly ground out as she began
walking again. He could tell she was mad; four years of friendship had taught
him that much. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure why. Naruto made a mental
note to have a kage bunshin kick his own ass if it turned out to be his fault,
though.

No more than two words were spoken during the rest of the
walk to the ramen stand. Most of it was spent with Naruto�s hands shoved grumpily
in his pockets and Sakura staring at her feet or the shops on the side of the
street opposite him.

It wasn�t much better once they were sitting down with two
big, steaming bowls of ramen in front of them either. At least they had the
excuse of eating to hide behind, but it wouldn�t last forever. Naruto sighed.
Should he apologize? It seemed like maybe he should, but at the moment, he was
really having a hard time feeling bad about anything. It�s not like this was a real
date; the day she agreed to an actual date with him was the day Sasuke
professed his undying love for� anything.

Naruto watched her a moment as she picked distastefully at
her ramen and caught himself gritting his teeth. It was like salt poured on a
gaping wound. Really.

�Ya know, you could at least pretend this isn�t the
worst thing you�ve ever had to do. It�s not like I really want to be here
either, but at least I�m tryin�,� he growled and shoved another clump of
noodles into his mouth.

Her head whipped around, and he couldn�t help but feel a
tiny bit of irritation lift at the familiar, outraged expression that greeted
him. Until, of course, she opened her mouth.

�Could�ve fooled me. You�re so uncomfortable you�re
practically twitching in your seat.� With that, she turned back to her food and
grumbled under her breath, �I wish we�d never made that stupid bet.�

�Yeah, obviously,� Naruto snorted in agreement. Out of the
corner of his eye, he saw Sakura wince. It wasn�t until he saw the look
Ayame-neesan was giving him from behind the counter, though, that he began to
feel a little guilty. He wasn�t entirely sure what she was trying to say with
that look, but he knew disapproval when he saw it. Naruto sighed inwardly.
Fine, make it two kage bunshin kicking his ass later.

Shoveling more barely chewed noodles down his throat, he
glanced at Sakura. �I wished we hadn�t either,� he admitted quietly. �Cause
this sucks.� She responded with a weak grin and a nod - which promptly turned
into an eye roll when he loudly slurped up more noodles.

�Gyah, remind me to beat some manners into you one day.�

Naruto laughed despite himself. �You and your sweet
nothings.�

�I�ll sweet nothing my foot up your ass,� she
growled, half annoyed and half amused, and Naruto only laughed harder. Theirs
was truly an interesting friendship to say the least.

~*~

�You did really good, ya know. I seriously thought it was
Sasuke,� he commented offhandedly as they slowly made their way toward her
home. Things were finally beginning to feel somewhat normal between them, and
with that the sort of lazy/comfortable feeling had returned to Naruto.

Sakura looked at him, the corner of her lips tugging
upward slightly. �How�d you figure it out?�

�Just a feeling really. Even if he woke up one day and
realized how sexy I am, it would take something like torture to get him to
admit it,� he laughed. From the smile on her face, Naruto assumed she agreed.
�So... what made you think of that?� he ventured. The question had been
burning in the back of his head since it happened, but he was no idiot. You
didn�t broach touchy subjects while she was pissed unless you wanted a beating.

�You guys made me think I�d fooled around with both of you
and Kakashi-sensei! That messes with your head. I just wanted you to
know how it felt.�

Silence.

�It�s not like I expected him to go along with it,� she
mumbled a few moments later.

�But you expected him to believe it,� Naruto
sighed.

She looked away, focusing on something across the street.
Wow. He knew she had, but it was quite another thing for her to admit it.

He fell silent, not really knowing how to respond, and the
fact that Sasuke had gone along with it� well, he still wasn�t sure how he felt
about that.

�I don't want to think about how long it'll be before he
speaks to me again,� moaned Sakura dejectedly. �How could I have been so stupid?�

Naruto sighed and turned his gaze upward, waiting for some
sort of answer to fall out of the sky and smack him on the forehead. Sadly, it
didn�t.

�If it makes you feel any better, I doubt he�ll wanna be
even in the same room as me anytime soon,� he finally said.

A high-pitched whine escaped Sakura�s throat. �So is this
it? Is this how teams break up?�

That was not an option Naruto had wanted to consider, but
now that she mentioned it, Sasuke could hold a grudge like no other.

�And if the genjutsu wasn�t bad enough, I had to go and
make it worse!�

Naruto began to nod his continued commiseration, but wait, that didn�t make
sense. �What do you mean?�

�Well, did you see his face after I grabbed your arm? It was just for a second,
but he looked really pissed. It might be just because he expected me to be
angry about going out with you.� She gave him an apologetic look at that
comment. �But I don�t think that�s it. I think he might�ve been a little�
jealous.�

Uh. �Jealous? Of us?� He wasn�t usually one to doubt Sakura-chan, but that was
just the weirdest thing he�d ever heard.

�Well, yeah. Not because he wants to be in your place, obviously, just � well,
think about it. We�ve always been a three person team that�s behaved a certain
way around each other. But since we�ve regrouped, things have been different.
You and I have been closer, and I�ve noticed that he�s noticed, you know?�

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he tried to process all of that. �So you think he
feels left out?�

�Maybe. I don�t know,� she snorted in exasperation. �Hell, for all I know, he
could be jealous of me!� Sakura met his gaze and chuckled nervously.

Slowly, Naruto replied, �I don�t think he�s gay, Sakura-chan.� When she only
raised an eyebrow in response, he continued. �Seriously. I mean, he hides it
well, so all you�ve seen is what just happened. I�ve been around him a lot
more. I�ve seen him look when he thought no one was watching, and he was more
than a little interested in the way you reacted to Kakashi-sensei in that
jutsu.�

He tried not to laugh at her shell-shocked expression.

�Then what was that earlier? He likes both?� The look on her face clearly
showed that she�d never considered the possibility before.

�Could be.� It was a much better conclusion than the alternative, he realized.
The idea that he�d only gone along with it out of some stupid rival-humiliation
thing made his stomach churn. �Would it bother you if he is?�

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before answering. �No, actually.
It�s just a surprise. I used to think stuff like that was the last thing on his
mind, and now it turns out I might have twice the competition.� Naruto glanced
at her awkwardly and received a playful punch in the shoulder for his efforts.
�That was a joke.�

His responding chuckle was painfully forced.

�Does it bother you that he�s at least somewhat attracted to you?� she asked a
few moments later.

He considered it for a minute, and for once an answer came easily to him. If
that was the case and Sasuke really did have the hots for him, things
would be different for sure, but Naruto couldn�t by any means say that it�d be
upsetting. Grinning, he answered, �Nah. It would be kinda weird, but then it'd
kinda make sense, too. Damn confusing, uptight bastard. Maybe I should go shag
him rotten every now and then to loosen him up.� He waggled his eyebrows at her
then and ignored it when she rolled her eyes.

They�d walked almost an entire block before either of them ventured to break
the silence again - Naruto realized rather belatedly that she must've been
trying to work herself up it. �So, are you�?� Sakura made a nonsensical gesture
with her hands, apparently unable to finish the question.

Naruto simply shrugged. �I never really thought about it. Didn�t need to, ya
know. There�s never been a shortage of pretty girls,� he replied, flashing her
one of his winning smiles. �But if he tried to�� He trailed off, shrugging
again. �I don�t know. I mean, I guess I wouldn�t know without trying it.�

�You want to, don�t you?� she asked quietly.

Well, that certainly wasn�t a question he�d been expecting; Naruto immediately
tripped over his own feet. �Wha?! What makes you think that?�

�You�re stumbling all over yourself. Not that I blame you. If I knew for a fact
Sasuke wanted me, I don�t think I could keep from thinking about it either.�

Hmm, well, he supposed she had a point there, but still. �And not me,
Sakura-chan?� he asked teasingly.

�Pfft, I already know you�re a walking ball of hormones,� she waved him off,
nose wrinkled.

Something in the dismissiveness of her response kicked him
right in the gut, and he suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
�Yeah, but what if you knew that right this moment I would gladly drag you
behind that building and make you scream?� The intensity in his voice surprised
even himself.

Sakura�s eyes darted back and forth between his briefly, and she swallowed
audibly before responding. �I�d say we�d better think about this carefully
before we say something we can�t take back. We have enough stuff to fix between
all of us at the moment.�

Naruto watched her intently for a moment, considering. Then his face broke out
in a smile as he grabbed her hand and tugged her along. �Well, let�s go then.�

�W...where?�

�To get that uptight bastard and show him he�s still a part of the team.�

TBC
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Sweetest Victory