Naruto :: No One Ever Said It Had to Be About Blood :: PG :: no pairings
Title: No One Ever Said It Had to Be About Blood
Fandom: Naruto
Pairings: None
Rating: PG (language, alcohol, violence)
Genre: General or crack or something
Word count: 1,019
Spoilers: Only if you haven't made it to the end of part 1.
Prompt: Principle
Summary: When the time calls for it, Sasuke delicately reinforces the old saying "if someone messes with your partner, you're supposed to do something about it."
Notes: ...Yeah. No more watching The Godfather late at night anymore.
It was a struggle even for Sasuke to keep his face blank. As annoying as Naruto could become when he'd had a few drinks - and, Sasuke admittedly knew, himself as well, according to Sakura - it hardly compared to this moron, who, for some unknown reason, found it necessary to not only frequently clap Sasuke on the back as if they were anything near something like friends, but who also made sure he leaned close enough to let Sasuke get a very clear idea of just how much alcohol he'd had as well as determine the brand.
"I've heard what they say about you," the guy said suddenly, thankfully reeling back to lean against the outside wall of the bar. "But really? Yer not that bad." He paused to take another drink, missing the slight wrinkling of Sasuke's nose. "A lot better th'n that - Uzumaki guy. See this?" He gestured widely at the noticeable bruise on his cheek; Sasuke made no response. "Punk took a swing at me. Yelled at me like a damn idiot, sayin' this an' that about Sakura-chan." He snorted and then hiccupped before letting his mouth run completely. "I said it wasn' any a' his business and he tried t'hit me again. See, but you - yer smarter than that, huh? I mean-" He leaned over as if to whisper, but his voice remained as loud as before. "She mentioned she used t'have the hots for you, so you gotta know how it is." Another long drink, and he made the mistake of glancing away. "Sakura's a good girl, but she can be a real bitch sometimes, you know?"
The only movement was the slightest tilt of Sasuke's head.
"She's got every right to be mad at me for cheatin' on her, but-" A stupid grin slipped onto his face, as if he were sharing a secret that only he and Sasuke had any right to know. "Can any guy who's been with her really blame me?"
...Strike one was the memory of Sakura's breakdown during a mission a few days before. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet since they all met in front of the gate that morning, and it wasn't until the team set up camp after nightfall that Sasuke brought it up - perhaps acting a bit too indifferently at the time, now that he thought about it. To everyone's surprise, she'd colored, made some kind of choking sound, and then abruptly left without a word, only returning when Naruto hesitantly went after her.
Strike two was calling Sakura a bitch. Sasuke knew she was a lot of things, both good - caring, hardworking, dedicated, responsible - and bad - annoying, loud, short-tempered, violent - but by no stretch was she a bitch. Even if she was, this guy had no room to throw out labels.
Strike three was this asshole's obvious lack of understanding in that what he had done was wrong. Not only that, he actually thought he was justified.
Sasuke was neither as bold nor as confrontational as Naruto; this run-in had been completely coincidental - at least, that would have been the story had anyone asked - but he did have lines over which he didn't like to be pushed, and the line that had just been so dangerously breached was a line that he and Naruto shared.
The guy was still drawing breath after his last question when Sasuke's fist connected solidly and neatly with the unmarred side of his face. There was a satisfying thunk as the back of his head struck concrete wall some half a second after Sasuke's arm retracted; even sober, the guy never would have seen it coming - he wasn't even a ninja. Honestly, what had Sakura seen in him? - and so he reacted only after he'd been hit. He stared at Sasuke for a moment, eyes wide in confusion and shock, and then finally slid down the wall to hit the sidewalk on his ass with a mangled gurgle of pain. A bruise was already forming to mirror the first.
"Ah-howww! The shit-"
Absolutely pathetic. This poor excuse for a Konoha native would probably keel over after a rough shove, alcohol or no.
Planting his foot firmly on the guy's shoulder, Sasuke kept him pinned back, and pushed sharply until he groaned and looked up. This was normally the part where a dirty look would have sufficed for scaring the daylights out of lesser opponents, but however a man of little words Sasuke was, he had a point to make, and he was confident this lowlife wouldn't dare repeat anything that was said here tonight.
"You con her," said Sasuke softly, his expression already fixed back into what his teammates had so affectionately dubbed his "Sound Face," "into taking you back a third time, and not even she'll be able to stop me from cutting off your hands the second I see you."
Exaggerated? Yes. But it was in times like these that the more ridiculous rumors surrounding Sasuke's personality managed to serve a purpose - and while he would take the secret to his grave, this scare tactic was actually a technique he'd observed in Orochimaru so many years ago. Look them in the eye, convince them you're serious, and make it sound like you might just possibly enjoy carrying out your threat - it worked every time.
He held the guy's nervous gaze just long enough to emphasize his point, and then without waiting for an answer Sasuke drew back, the push of his foot off its hostage firmer than necessary.
A week later, Sakura was reported to be her usual self again. Sasuke half-expected (half-feared) that she would catch on to his self-proposed participation, but the guy must have been doing a good job of obeying the double threat, because she showed no sign of knowing anything about it; that, or his bruises healed fast.
And while Naruto didn't voice what he was thinking behind the suspicious look he threw Sasuke one afternoon, he did say that Sakura's ex-boyfriend had developed an inexplicable habit of abruptly changing direction whenever he saw her.
Sasuke didn't react. "Hn."
Naruto grinned.
Fandom: Naruto
Pairings: None
Rating: PG (language, alcohol, violence)
Genre: General or crack or something
Word count: 1,019
Spoilers: Only if you haven't made it to the end of part 1.
Prompt: Principle
Summary: When the time calls for it, Sasuke delicately reinforces the old saying "if someone messes with your partner, you're supposed to do something about it."
Notes: ...Yeah. No more watching The Godfather late at night anymore.
It was a struggle even for Sasuke to keep his face blank. As annoying as Naruto could become when he'd had a few drinks - and, Sasuke admittedly knew, himself as well, according to Sakura - it hardly compared to this moron, who, for some unknown reason, found it necessary to not only frequently clap Sasuke on the back as if they were anything near something like friends, but who also made sure he leaned close enough to let Sasuke get a very clear idea of just how much alcohol he'd had as well as determine the brand.
"I've heard what they say about you," the guy said suddenly, thankfully reeling back to lean against the outside wall of the bar. "But really? Yer not that bad." He paused to take another drink, missing the slight wrinkling of Sasuke's nose. "A lot better th'n that - Uzumaki guy. See this?" He gestured widely at the noticeable bruise on his cheek; Sasuke made no response. "Punk took a swing at me. Yelled at me like a damn idiot, sayin' this an' that about Sakura-chan." He snorted and then hiccupped before letting his mouth run completely. "I said it wasn' any a' his business and he tried t'hit me again. See, but you - yer smarter than that, huh? I mean-" He leaned over as if to whisper, but his voice remained as loud as before. "She mentioned she used t'have the hots for you, so you gotta know how it is." Another long drink, and he made the mistake of glancing away. "Sakura's a good girl, but she can be a real bitch sometimes, you know?"
The only movement was the slightest tilt of Sasuke's head.
"She's got every right to be mad at me for cheatin' on her, but-" A stupid grin slipped onto his face, as if he were sharing a secret that only he and Sasuke had any right to know. "Can any guy who's been with her really blame me?"
...Strike one was the memory of Sakura's breakdown during a mission a few days before. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet since they all met in front of the gate that morning, and it wasn't until the team set up camp after nightfall that Sasuke brought it up - perhaps acting a bit too indifferently at the time, now that he thought about it. To everyone's surprise, she'd colored, made some kind of choking sound, and then abruptly left without a word, only returning when Naruto hesitantly went after her.
Strike two was calling Sakura a bitch. Sasuke knew she was a lot of things, both good - caring, hardworking, dedicated, responsible - and bad - annoying, loud, short-tempered, violent - but by no stretch was she a bitch. Even if she was, this guy had no room to throw out labels.
Strike three was this asshole's obvious lack of understanding in that what he had done was wrong. Not only that, he actually thought he was justified.
Sasuke was neither as bold nor as confrontational as Naruto; this run-in had been completely coincidental - at least, that would have been the story had anyone asked - but he did have lines over which he didn't like to be pushed, and the line that had just been so dangerously breached was a line that he and Naruto shared.
The guy was still drawing breath after his last question when Sasuke's fist connected solidly and neatly with the unmarred side of his face. There was a satisfying thunk as the back of his head struck concrete wall some half a second after Sasuke's arm retracted; even sober, the guy never would have seen it coming - he wasn't even a ninja. Honestly, what had Sakura seen in him? - and so he reacted only after he'd been hit. He stared at Sasuke for a moment, eyes wide in confusion and shock, and then finally slid down the wall to hit the sidewalk on his ass with a mangled gurgle of pain. A bruise was already forming to mirror the first.
"Ah-howww! The shit-"
Absolutely pathetic. This poor excuse for a Konoha native would probably keel over after a rough shove, alcohol or no.
Planting his foot firmly on the guy's shoulder, Sasuke kept him pinned back, and pushed sharply until he groaned and looked up. This was normally the part where a dirty look would have sufficed for scaring the daylights out of lesser opponents, but however a man of little words Sasuke was, he had a point to make, and he was confident this lowlife wouldn't dare repeat anything that was said here tonight.
"You con her," said Sasuke softly, his expression already fixed back into what his teammates had so affectionately dubbed his "Sound Face," "into taking you back a third time, and not even she'll be able to stop me from cutting off your hands the second I see you."
Exaggerated? Yes. But it was in times like these that the more ridiculous rumors surrounding Sasuke's personality managed to serve a purpose - and while he would take the secret to his grave, this scare tactic was actually a technique he'd observed in Orochimaru so many years ago. Look them in the eye, convince them you're serious, and make it sound like you might just possibly enjoy carrying out your threat - it worked every time.
He held the guy's nervous gaze just long enough to emphasize his point, and then without waiting for an answer Sasuke drew back, the push of his foot off its hostage firmer than necessary.
A week later, Sakura was reported to be her usual self again. Sasuke half-expected (half-feared) that she would catch on to his self-proposed participation, but the guy must have been doing a good job of obeying the double threat, because she showed no sign of knowing anything about it; that, or his bruises healed fast.
And while Naruto didn't voice what he was thinking behind the suspicious look he threw Sasuke one afternoon, he did say that Sakura's ex-boyfriend had developed an inexplicable habit of abruptly changing direction whenever he saw her.
Sasuke didn't react. "Hn."
Naruto grinned.