[Naruto] Yours and Mine, Chapter 3

[parapluies]

Title: Yours and Mine
Fandom: Naruto
Genre: General/Romance
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Naruto/Sakura, Ino.
Warnings/Spoilers: Steamy Make-outs.
Status: In-Progress.
Summary: A collection of short stories that span Naruto and Sakura's lives together.
Previous Chapters: 01 | 02

3 - Playing with Fire

Sakura felt her head hit with the back of the wall, but barely noticed let alone cared for that matter. She didn’t care she was squeezed into such a confined space, where the lighting was insufficient and the temperature kept rising to almost sizzling rates. Her mind was elsewhere, completely far away at the moment-not a single, coherent thought could register to her.

All that she could smell, feel, think and breathe was Uzumaki Naruto as he pushed her against the wall of the closet, his mouth rough and yet gentle as they continued their assault on her lips. Meanwhile his hands strayed up and down the side of her arms, her back and her waist; nearly scorching her skin with the heated intensity that could have very well been a thousand suns. He tasted like ramen and alcohol-he reeked of alcohol and soap and wind-not particularly the greatest combination but it overwhelmed and swarmed her until it was all she could register through the haze of feeling and heat.

During their exchanges, she had stripped him of his headband and jacket-felt damn smug over the look of brief surprise that ran across his face and in turn he had yanked down the zipper of her shirt so low that her bra could be seen peaking through the fabric. She remembered the look on his face as he did it.

“Wow,” he said, his voice low and deep; his smile lop-sided and lazy, and yet his eyes betrayed the casualness of his tone and features-they were like blue fire, so hungry and fierce and heated, and they were roaming every inch of her like a lion eying its prey. When they finally rested on hers, his smile widened, “You look amazing, Sakura-chan.”

But the intensity of his eyes spoke of other things-things that left Sakura’s mouth run dry, her legs weak in the knees and her stomach do a series of very impressive flip-flops. She should have hit him or at least say something more dignifying than her silence and a blushing face, but she couldn’t find any lecherous intentions, no hidden insincerity, in his expression or in his words. He looked and sounded genuine, even if he was possibly seeing two of her at the moment. And before she knew it, he was kissing her again, harder and fiercer than ever, and she was lost to it-lost to him.

Sakura didn’t think it was possible for one to be kissed so… intently before; that such a kiss could literally steal her breath away. She didn’t have a word to call what she was feeling, only that it was wonderful-too, too wonderful-and she didn’t want it to stop.

As if sensing her thoughts, his lips moved its way to her jaw, kissing that spot below her ear before trailing languorous kisses down the length of her neck. Sakura, who had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her fingers weaved between the gold locks of hair this entire time, instantly tugged him closer; her grip unrelenting but somehow Naruto didn’t mind. He seemed to latch onto her reaction and she could feel the contours of his face move in what she thought might have been a smile. A moan involuntarily escaped from the back of her throat when she realized that his mouth wasn’t relinquishing and was drawing lower and lower.

Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, was the only thing that kept running through her mind as her knees weakened again. Naruto pushed her further against the wall until Sakura could scarcely breathe. This was going too far, she thought helplessly. Things weren’t supposed to go this far. She was only supposed to kiss him. It had been only one simple dare.

“You want me to what?” said Sakura, her jaw dropping. Had she heard wrong? Kami, she hoped she did. For a minute, she thought that maybe Ino had just asked her to-

“Do I have to spell it out for you, Forehead Girl?” said Ino with a roll of her eyes. “I said: I dare you to have your first kiss with Naruto.”

“But-“

And at this, Sakura spared a quick glance at her blond team-mate, who, at the moment, was having a drinking match with Kiba. Or was it a shouting match? The two were getting pretty rowdy-even Naruto, who could probably burn through a gallon of alcohol (maybe even two) without getting so much as a slur to his voice, was now starting to sway in his chair with less than the usual coordination.

Leave it Tsunade-shishou to have a stock of booze lying around which could immobilize Konoha’s most hyperactive ninja. Heck, Sakura was surprised how easy it was for him and Kiba to even steal a couple boxes from Tsunade’s own personal storage at the Tower.
However, she still couldn’t walk up to Naruto and start kissing him-her very first kiss no doubt. That would be weird, she thought as she stared harder at the back of his head. It wouldn’t be like all those times he had asked her out on dates (even though she had agreed to almost all of them) or when she’d sleep over at his house and share the same bed as him-this was something else entirely. This was different.

She turned back to Ino. “But he’s Naruto,” she said, as if that statement alone was enough to shed some light on things.

Ino failed to see the significance. “So?”

Sakura scowled. “So Ino-Pig… I can’t kiss him,” she said impatiently. “He’s like my best friend. It’ll be weird. I can’t do it.”

“Gee… Sakura, I just said you only had to kiss him not auction your freedom to him,” said Ino with another roll of her eyes. “Sheesh.”

“It’s my first kiss,” Sakura muttered. “Shouldn’t it be with someone I’m actually attracted to?”

“What’s wrong with Naruto?” said Ino curiously, glancing over at the other blond shinobi. “He’s attractive enough, wouldn’t you say? And I’ve seen the way you look at him sometimes-don’t deny it,” she said when Sakura opened her mouth to do just that.

Sakura was reluctant to admit it but Ino did have a point. It wasn’t that Naruto wasn’t attractive-he was rather handsome and she definitely thought he had a nice smile-but still, he was Naruto. The very same Naruto who had all but declared he’d be Hokage, who’d rush head-first into danger without a second pause-the very same Naruto who’d stuffed his face with ramen, who was relentless and determined and strong… the same Naruto who defied the odds, who made others hope and believe in him… the same Naruto who held her and comforted her-who was there for her through thick and thin. She couldn’t… she just couldn’t.

Unable to help herself, Sakura looked at him. His shouting match with Kiba was reduced to a staring contest-or a glaring contest more like, judging from the look of ire on both their faces. It made Sakura’s feeling of uncertainty magnify tenfold.

Ino must have seen the look on her face, because she said, “He’s too drunk to stand on his own two feet, let alone kiss you back.”
“It’s different,” Sakura insisted.

“Look at it this way. If it’ll make you feel better you can always knock him out afterwards-it’s not like he’ll remember a thing anyway.”

“You’re suggesting I take advantage of my poor team-mate’s inebriated state?” said Sakura scowled. “Have you no sense of morality?”

“Hey, I’m just concerned that’s all. You’re sixteen-years-old and you haven’t even been kissed yet.” Sakura winced. Ino was making it sound a lot worse than it probably was. “Don’t you ever wonder what it’s like? Just go and find out?”

“No,” Sakura lied.

“Here,” said Ino, shoving another glass of sake towards her. “Drink up, get drunk-do whatever makes you sleep at night. Just get those virgin lips of yours kissed already.”

“No,” said Sakura petulantly, pushing the glass back, “I can’t kiss him. I won’t.”

“Sakura,” said Ino, who was now getting impatient, “either you kiss him or you make out with Lee, how’s that?”

And that had been that.

After chugging down a couple glasses-make that three-and shooting her friend a death glare (something that did little to faze Ino, who simply smiled widely at her and waved. “Be sure to make a big show, Sakura!” she said, giggling), Sakura grudgingly made her way to where Naruto and Kiba were seated.

When she’d approached their table, the two were locked in a heated gaze-well as heated as it could get with the two of them swaying in their chairs like they were about to fall off.

Sakura spared another glance at Ino, whose smile-if possible-seemed more devious than ever. Sakura made a face at her and turned away. Not wanting to get cold feet, she quickly cut to the chase.

“Naruto,” she said, her tone all business-like, but underneath it all she was anxious, “I need to speak to you.”

“Can’t it wait, Sakura-chan?” said Naruto, who still had yet to blink, although she could tell it was taking a great deal of effort not to do so. “I’m in the middle of something.”

“Well… it’s important,” she explained with a huff. “It can’t wait.”

“Okay. Just until I beat Kiba then,” he said with a confident grin.

Kiba snorted. “You’re about to pass out, Uzumaki,” he said. “Just admit you’ve lost already.”

“Speak for yourself, Inuzuka,” Naruto retorted.

The glaring match continued.

Sakura’s patience level, on the other hand, was rapidly growing thin. Idiots, she thought with irritation when she was still standing there ten minutes later. This was stupid, she thought. More than a little fed up by this point, Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands.

She pushed the table that was between the two boys with a swift kick of her boots. Then she slid in front of Naruto’s line of vision and blocked Kiba’s view.

“Hey-what are…you…” he trailed off when Sakura suddenly nudged herself between his legs and leaned into him, her arms at his shoulders, and their faces so close she could practically see her reflection in his eyes. “S-Sakura-chan?” he choked. “What are you-“

“We need to talk,” she said sweetly into his ear. She could hear his intake of breath. “Right now.”

When she pulled away, Naruto was frozen to his seat, his face similar to that of a fish caught out of water-he didn’t even look like he was breathing anymore. Even Kiba was gawking at her.

Sakura turned to Ino, as if to say, ‘How’s that?’ and was thoroughly incensed when Ino looked almost bored. “Well? Keep going!” Ino mouthed, looking exasperated when Sakura just stood there, glaring at her.

Sakura forced herself to smile as she turned on her heels. If Ino wants a show, she thought, grinding her teeth together, then I’ll give her a show.

She made sure she flaunted the sway of her hips and insinuated the length of her legs as she walked because she just knew he would not be able to resist-she could practically feel Naruto’s eyes watching her every move like a hawk.

She looked over her shoulder and sure enough Naruto was staring at her, his blue eyes a moving in and out of focused and his lips thin and taut. She gave him a mega-watt smile that pretty much had him drooling. “Well? Are you coming or what?”

Naruto shot up like a board at once. He walked mechanically, his arms and legs stiff-as if he were a man possessed. She didn’t even think he was watching where he was going anymore.

“S-So what did you want to talk to me about, Sakura-chan?” said Naruto, a little sheepishly.

Sakura slid her around his neck and smiled. “Let’s go somewhere else,” she said, jerking her chin in the house. “I want to talk to you… alone.”

“Alone?” he repeated, his voice cracking. “As in… just you and me? That kind of alone?”

“Yes, Naruto, that kind of alone,” she said, a tad amused.

He didn’t move or appeared to be breathing for that matter.

“Naruto, breathe,” she ordered, silently alarmed that his heart had stopped beating.

He opened his mouth and did just that.

Sakura merely rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him off someplace. As soon as they were secluded and Sakura was sure no one had followed them, she’d yanked open the first door she came to and shoved him inside.

Naruto tumbled backwards into the dark room, his head colliding into the back wall from the force of her push as well as his own lack of coordination. He would have slid to the floor if he had not caught himself in the last minute.

“Ow…” he mumbled, rubbing the spot on his head that he’d bumped. “Hey, what was that for, Sakura-chan? And what were you-“he broke off when she climbed through the threshold and shut the door behind her. Their visions took awhile to adjust to the darkness, and while Sakura could not see his face quite as clearly yet she could imagine his uncertainty and his confusion. “Uh… Sakura-chan? What are you doing?”

Now that she had actually gotten him here, Sakura was still hesitant to advance to the next step. And the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. The temptation to pull the door open and leave was fairly tempting, but she didn’t think she could stomach Ino’s looks of haughty awareness any more than she could tolerate kissing Rock Lee. And she supposed having her first kiss with Naruto didn’t seem as horrible in comparison.

“Sakura-chan?” This time he sounded concerned. “Are you-“

“I’m fine,” she said, cutting him off.

He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “Then what’s the matter? You were acting so weird before and now you’re all quiet. And I don’t understand why we couldn’t just talk outside instead of in a…wait. Is this a closet?”

For someone who’d just drunk a whole tank of Tsunade’s alcoholic beverages, he sure was observant. Sakura supposed that the Kyuubi’s charka must already be burning through the intoxication. She had to act fast; otherwise her dignity would not be the only thing on the line.

“Sakura-chan?” said Naruto and she felt him take a step closer. Sakura noticed how small the space of this closet was. He was so close to her she could smell the soap of his shirt and the warmth of his breath. She knew if she took one more step she’d be able to touch his lips.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, stepping away from him. She was mildly surprised by how fast her own heart had picked up speed. “Just… give me a moment, will you?”

Naruto didn’t say anything nor did he move from his spot.

“Okay,” she said once she willed her heart to beat at a more moderate pace. “I know this is going to be al little crazy and maybe a little awkward after, but just bear with me a little, okay? I definitely have a point for all this.”

She felt him nod his head, albeit reluctantly.

She took another deep breath. Her face crumpled a little under the pressure. “Ugh… I still can’t believe I’m actually going to do this…” she muttered to herself.

“Um…” was Naruto’s confused reply.

“Okay,” she said again and resumed the spot she’d been before. “So here is the thing: I’ve never been kissed before.”

Naruto choked. “Huh-what?”

“I said I’ve never been kissed before,” she repeated thickly. “I guess those three years of training under Tsunade have made me celibate or something. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Anyways, when I told Ino-pig this she made a really big deal out of it.” Sakura raised her eyes to meet his. “She dared me to kiss you.”

He choked again. “She-what?”

“That was my exact reaction too,” she mumbled.

Sakura was kind of glad that they had minimum lighting-she didn’t want him to know that she was blushing. But he was being awfully quiet and that was saying something.

She hesitated for a moment. “Naruto?”

“Yeah?” There was a slight hitch to his voice.

“Are you still alive?” She poked him in the stomach.

He coughed. “Just barely,” he said. “But go on, I’m listening.”

“Well, I didn’t want to kiss you-“she thought she felt his shoulders slump in disappointment, “but that was only because I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.”

“So why did you agree then?” he mumbled, still sounding dejected.

“It was either you or Lee,” she said flatly. “And I’m not completely comfortable about kissing the latter.”

“Let me get this straight,” he said, slowly. “You’ve never been kissed before.” Sakura nodded. “Ino dared you to kiss me and if you’d refused you’d have to kiss Fuzzy-Brows instead.” Sakura nodded again. “So you only chose me because I happen to be the option that was less unappealing?”

“No!” she said, horrified that he’d think that. “It’s not like that at all. Look,” she said, “I realized Ino was right. In her own stupid way she was right. I’m a kunoichi, Naruto. I don’t have the luxury of waiting. I have to grasp what ever moment or opportunity I get because it might never happen again. I’ve never been kissed before and I just want to experience that feeling-even if it’s just once.” She looked at his face, determined. “And… and I’d rather it be with you, Naruto. No,” she said with a shake of her head, “I want it to be with you.”

Naruto, again, fell into silence but it was short-lived. “You really… want me to be your first kiss?” he asked, and she could have sworn he sounded almost hopeful... in awe.

Sakura nodded, cheeks red. “Yes,” she whispered.

He expelled a breath. “…Okay.”

“Okay?” said Sakura because she didn’t think he would agree right away. “Really?”

She heard him chuckle. “Did I stutter, Sakura-chan?” he teased. “I said okay.”

“Hm,” she said, her face reddening. They were silent for a moment, neither of them moving. “Just promise me one thing though,” she said quietly. He waited. “Promise me… just promise me that whatever happens you’ll still be my best friend.”

“You know that will never change, Sakura-chan,” said Naruto softly.

Sakura felt relieved.

She reached out, one shaky hand grazing the side of face-she could feel the lines of his whiskers brush gently over the pads of her fingers. And then Naruto’s own hand enveloped over her own. His hand was so much bigger than hers but they were as gentle and as pleasantly warm as the rest of him. He pressed her hand closer to his face and leaned into her touch.

“You’re shaking,” he noted.

“I know,” was all she found herself saying before she raised herself up on tiptoes-he was much, much taller than her now-and kissed him.

His arms came around her waist and drew her closer, nearly lifting her off her feet. She squeaked in surprise, her face heating up like fire. She placed both hands on his shoulders to push him away but she felt his hand cup the side of her face and his mouth start to move from underneath hers-responding. And it was like everything else-Ino, her surroundings, the awkwardness, all of it-had faded away. Sakura ceased trying to resist and leaned into his embrace.

His lips were soft, like velvet, so gentle and soft-and warm. Somehow, everything about Naruto was warm. She supposed it was only natural that his kisses would be warm too.

When he pulled away to allow for a chance to breathe, Sakura felt dizzy and unbalanced. She was sure if Naruto had not been holding her she’d have slid onto the floor in a pile of goo. But most of all, she was overcome by a sense of loss; as though something vitally important was missing-had been missing this entire time-and she’d only just discovered it.

He was watching her-she could feel his gaze on her. And when she looked up she was struck by how clear and blue his eyes were-they were fierce and intense and yet cautious and guarded.

She gave him a small, timid smile; her cheeks burning red again. “One more time,” she murmured, for once a little shy. “Please.”

Naruto looked only momentarily startled by her claim, but then his blue eyes were out of focus again-and they were sizzling like blue fire and lightning. He didn’t breathe a single word as he ducked his head and sought her mouth, just simply kissed her like he’d been doing it for years. Sakura closed her eyes and let herself fall. She knew she was playing with fire-knew if she wasn’t careful, she’d get burned, but it was already too late for her; it was too late to go back.

Kissing Naruto felt a lot like feeling complete again or like breathing-so natural and yet so crucial to her existence; something she can’t quite imagine ever being without.

And she wanted more of it. More and more and more…

She wasn’t sure if she had said this out loud or if he had simply read her mind, but Naruto responded in kind. His kisses grew less reserved and cautious and more fiery and desperate; however he continued to be gentle and respectful with her. He didn’t force anything on her and always met her lips with a silent question: Are you okay? Is this okay? Can I continue? And without words, Sakura would tell him her answer: yes, yes, yes. It was yes every time.

She didn’t know when he started to mean this much to her. This thing-whatever it was-certainly hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. Or maybe it had been there; biding its time; waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. Maybe she’d known all along and had never put much thought into it until now.

One thing was for sure: he wanted her. And Sakura wanted him-she was amazed that this was the actual truth and how calmly and matter-of-fact she was handling it. She wanted him, as simple as that.

Sakura was hardly aware of how much time had passed but they must have been gone a pretty long time because just as Naruto had unzipped the rest of her shirt, there was a sudden knock at the door that startled the both of them.

“Ignore it,” said Naruto as he went back to kissing her neck. “Maybe they’ll go away…”

Sakura was tempted to do just that, but unfortunately the person at the door wasn’t having any of that. The knocking grew more persistent.

“I know you two are in there.” It was Ino. She sounded both amused and annoyed. “It’s almost two and everyone is getting ready to head out.”

“She’s right,” Naruto whispered as he stopped what he was doing. It seemed to take all of his effort to do so. Even Sakura had to force herself not to pull him right back. His smile was half-hearted. “I guess play time’s over.”

Sakura swallowed as the full extent of their actions finally dawned to her. “Right,” she said as she stepped back from him; already she could feel the loss of warmth. She tried giving him a smile but it was hard when she was also fighting down disappointment. “Well, that was… fun,” she said, laughing slightly. Wow was more like it.

“Couldn’t have your first kiss be mediocre,” he replied, grinning smugly.

Sakura blushed. “Right,” she said as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. He laughed uneasily at the silence that followed. “Hey, what ever happened to there being no awkward moments between us?”

“I know,” said Sakura quickly. “It’s just that I…”

“You what?” he said when she didn’t say anything after.

As he stared at her, Sakura wanted to tell him of her change of heart; that she wasn’t sure she could go back to being just his best friend anymore-that she didn’t think it was possible to act the same around him. Not when that kiss had knocked her world, had changed her-it felt right for goodness sakes. Too right that it was kind of scary. She wanted to know if it was possible, wanted to ask him if maybe, just maybe, his world had been changed too and that maybe he felt the same?

Another knock at the door broke the moment.

“Sakura, I’ve given you more than enough time to shove your tongue down his throat-“Sakura and Naruto both choked on air, “-so get out of my closet already before I make you!”

“Fine, fine, we’re coming out!” she snapped, avoiding Naruto’s gaze. She practically ripped open the door and glared, red face, at Ino, who was grinning from ear-to-ear.

“About time,” she said casually. Sakura’s glare hardened. “Oh, and I see it’s pointless to ask if you if you’d liked it or not.” She pointedly stared at Sakura’s open shirt.

If it was possible, Sakura’s face went even redder. She whirled on the spot and quickly did the zipper back up.
“Aww… no need to feel embarrassed, Forehead,” Ino teased.

“Shut up, Ino-Pig,” she said, although it didn’t sound entirely as outraged as she’d liked.

Naruto, who was feeling awkward standing between the two of them and listening to the conversation, cleared his throat. Both girls turned to look at him expectantly.

“Uhh… I’m gonna go now, so uhh… see you guys around.” He nodded at Ino when he passed her. “Sakura-chan,” he said and Sakura reacted instantly to the sound of her name. He was giving her a strange look-one that was mixed with fire and lightning and warmth, his eyes out of focused and yet so entirely aware of what he was looking at. He looked as if he wanted to tell her something-before it was gone again, just as fast… like it was never there. Instead he said, “I’ll see you around, ‘kay?” almost as a lame excuse.

Sakura tried her best to swallow again but it was difficult. It was like he was kissing her again-taking her breath away or making her heart stand still.

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “See you.”

He gave her one last smile before turning on his heel.

As soon as he was gone, Ino spoke-although quite frankly, Sakura forgot she was even there, “Oh man,” she said, staring at Sakura, almost pitifully, “you’re in trouble, Forehead. Big, big trouble. ”

Yes, thought Sakura as she stared ahead, I know.