They both stunk of smoke and flames; but the smell wasn't entirely unpleasant.
Sakura glanced at the flustered clan heirs. "Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly, studying their flushed faces and disheveled clothes.
Satsuki was the first to recover. "No, nothing happened," she answered much to the pastel-haired girl's surprise.
"Really?"
Satsuki glowered at the Senju who glared back. She ignored Sakura's inquiry and said, "Why did you interrupt me?" she spat.
"I saved your life, you bastard, and this is the thanks I get?!"
"Now, now, arguing won't bring you three anywhere close to success."
"Damn, he sneaked up on us," Naruto cursed and he hadn't even felt the man's presence!
"You're just bloody idle, dobe."
"What was that, bastard?!"
Kakashi sighed. He had never seen a team with worse teamwork than this. The weren't just bad—they were awful in a way that required active effort! Did they meet up and trained to achieve this? Was it on purpose? If Kakashi hadn't known any better, he would've thought they were pulling his leg but the sheer distaste in the clan heirs's eyes for one another told a different story.
He had the worst luck in the world; a Senju and Uchiha on the same team? He doubted things will work out well. And Team 7… he was the teacher of the most accursed team in the history of Konoha's founding.
Kakashi refrained from groaning as the Genins continued to argue among themselves—Iit was like they were deliberately sabotaging themselves. He rubbed his forehead, recalling the many, guaranteed deaths of all members of Team 7. The silver-haired man shook his head, bringing his precious book to his face and continued to read. He giggled, ignoring the genins incredulous glares.
"You…" began Satsuki, clenching her fists. "You think you can take me that lightly?"
"Hm?" said Kakashi. "Did you said something? I was just coming to the best part, you see, the one where—"
Kakashi struggled to keep his face in an innocent expression as Satsuki's wrath approached a boiling point. Just as the dark Uchiha was about to charge at him, the Senju stepped before her, intercepting her. She glowered heatedly at him. "Get lost." she growled.
"Uchiha, wait," said Naruto calmly. "I have an idea."
Satsuki scoffed. "That would be a first."
Naruto ignored her, throwing an arm around her and Sakura and pulling close, whispering things Kakashi can't hear but he doubted it'll be any good for them anyway. Inside the circle, Satsuki remained silent, glaring at Naruto but obviously calming down.
"What does it cost you to go along?" the Senju was whispering, debating with the Uchiha. "If this fails you can just call me an idiot like always and try it your way. It won't take long, I promise."
Satsuki eyed him suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"
Naruto brought his hand to a bruise on Satsuki's arm and it began to glow. As Naruto waved his glowing hand over the blue-black Kakashi had inflicted, the flesh healed itself in it's wake. Kakashi inhaled slightly. The boy knew medical techniques? Oh, he was Senju Tsunade's son after all, Kakashi berated himself, of course the boy would know medical jutsus.
"Better?"
Satsuki grunted. "What do you have in mind?" she repeated again, less grudging this time.
Naruto grinned foxily. "All you need to do is grab the bells when you have the chance." The girls retreated and the sole boy strode almost casually towards Kakashi. The jonin remained passive, warily assessing the blonde Senju, but he didn't put his book away which the boy was apparently scrutinizing. "Oh, this, volume three. Ero-sennin—I mean, my godfather, Jiraiya, already had the fourth volume ready. Do you know what happens next from the cliffhanger? Well, Takara and Jiro finally—"
"No!" Kakashi yelled, his hands flying to his ears to block out the boy's next words.
"I'm not telling," the Senju smiled sweetly, victoriously, placing a finger to his lips and this was what truly distracted Kakashi. The way the boy smiled, his grin—cheerful, cheeky and all the good memories—was so much like Minato-sensei's that it was simply impossible—
"We got it, Naruto-kun!" Sakura cheered, holding up a bell she taken from their stunned teacher. "Your plan worked."
Satsuki studied Kakashi, obviously, her standard of him had dropped from zero to nothing. "Just for a erotic book? The plot?" she demanded, befuddled and crossed.
Kakashi ignored her, straightening himself and assessing the group of Genin with mixed feelings. "Well, it seems like only the girls will pass and the sole boy will go back to the Academy."
Sakura's grin dimmed, her shoulders slumped in according to her mood. Much to everyone's surprise, Satsuki threw her bell at Naruto. He looked at her with a new light. "Wow, really, Uchiha?"
Faint pink tinted her pale cheeks but Satsuki chase it away quickly enough. "Shut up," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "I just don't want to be stuck with such a teacher."
Kakashi was well adept enough to know a lie when he saw one. Though the girl was only partially lying, he chuckled, he supposed it would be okay to pass them. The three of them together, if they could work on their teamwork, would be spectacular.
***
Now that their test was over, they were dismissed; Kakashi-sensei said that he had to go to the Hokage to make sure their team would be official. He'd left the three genins to their own devices after saying that; Naruto pouted at that, their teacher though cheerful looking, would also be quite distant and hard to reach like Satsuki even though he had a more pleasant demeanor.
Wiping the sweat of his forehead—man, was Konoha hot or what, he'd hate to see Suna if it was already scorching hot in this four-seasonal town—and feeling somewhat adventurous despite the weather, Naruto glanced at Satsuki who was walking in front of him.
"Hey, wanna go somewhere?"
Sakura perked up; but Naruto's attention was mainly on Satsuki who didn't bother turning around but from how her steps faltered a moment, he knew she'd heard.
"Where?"
"I'll treat you girls to lunch! What do you say?"
"Sure!"
"Forget it," the cold and flat tone definitely belonged to Satsuki. Naruto felt like he'd been rejected which was totally lame because he didn't even confess his love or anything. That thought was also freakish and impossible: he wasn't into Satsuki, maybe, even though the girl had looks to die for. Then again, Naruto rarely settled for looks, the personality counted too. The girl he would settle down with someday must not be a demure someone, must be hot and someone who pose as a challenge; fierce, someone who would not be a pushover; and for the looks, maybe someone with long dark hair or complexion opposite of his—
Hold it, why did that sound suspiciously like Satsuki fitted the criteria? Man, his choice in girls were screwed up. It had to be his dad's genes; he heard that the girls his dad chased after were hot-tempered, strong, no pushover, very fierce and would always engage him in verbal wars. His mother was also hot-tempered, strong and fierce. Satsuki was also like that.
Stop, he told his brain as he came back down to earth and saw Satsuki stalking away. "Wait, I told you I'd pay!" Why was he even bothering to persist her? He was baffled himself, but that didn't stop him from keeping pace with her.
"Come on," he whined but of course, that was ineffective when it came to Satsuki. He huffed, using the last card. "How about I be your sparring partner?"
She stopped and glanced back, her expression softening from steel to rock. "I'm going so that you'll stop pestering me. Got it?"
He grinned. "Sure. Whatever you say." He quickened his pace, taking the lead. "I'm choosing the place."
Knowing his love for ramen, Sakura had already guessed that they'd be at Ichiraku's. She didn't feel much of an appetite but Naruto-kun was looking at her and Satsuki with doe eyes. "Extra-small," she added after giving her order; she could just eat a little, after all, she was on a diet. She glanced at Satsuki's order, the taller girl had taken a large one, it made Sakura grimace. "Don't you ever diet?"
"No," replied Satsuki, seeming confused for a moment before that look passed. "Why should I?"
"Aren't you worried that you'll… er, put on weight?"
Satsuki scowled. "No. Ninjas are never overweight or underweight as long as they train daily and had a strict regime. The only fat sort of ninjas are the Akimichis or ninjas who's abilities need them to have fat. Or, there are ninjas who laze around and neglect their training for other purposes." Sakura blushed, feeling Satsuki's gaze on her at the last part. Maybe it was time she pick up the slack and start working out.
"Hey, come on, girls, eat up!"
Sakura's jaw dropped, if she thought Satsuki was already eating too much, she couldn't believe what she saw when her eyes landed on Naruto. The blonde was already devouring his third bowl of ramen, she hadn't even started, and Satsuki was only halfway through.
"I think I'm full," the Uchiha muttered, onyx eyes concentrated on the busy ramen stand. There was only one person serving everybody while the other guy played the role of a chef. She tapped the waitress's shoulder. "A drink please."
Ayame nodded once, and without looking properly at her customer's face, served a bottle of sake, "Help yourself!" she yelled as she ran to serve another customer, not noticing that the Uchiha was underage for a drink.
Satsuki blinked, she'd never tasted sake before and she was slightly curious of the taste. She took one of the glasses handed to her and uncorked the sake bottle, pouring the beverage. Sakura, who was staring at Satsuki, blanched. "We can't drink that!"
"Who says?" the pale girl challenged stubbornly. "Your parents forbid it but mine aren't here to have a say-so." Her voice was cold and her face hard when she said this, it silenced Sakura effectively.
"What's that you're drinking?" The two girls glanced at their third teammate briefly; Satsuki thought that he looked slightly adorable—like the bear plush toy she used to lug around—with his mouth stuffed with food, before she cursed herself for thinking so.
"Sake." Came the curt reply which made Naruto splutter and nearly choke on his food. Satsuki ignored him, bringing the cup to her lips and downed it in one go. She blinked before she poured more into her cup and drink it in one go again.
"So…" Sakura darted a glance at the drink. "How does it taste like?"
Instead of answering, the Uchiha placed the cup down and grunted softly. But when she made to pour more into her cup, Naruto snatched her wrist. "Hey!" the Senju protested. "You shouldn't drink that. My dad said that shinobi shouldn't drink before they reach the age of twenty-one!"
"And we're thirteen," said Satsuki, irritated. "You want me to wait eight years?" She scowled when he grinned sheepishly. "Daddy's boy."
"It's his last words. I can't possibly ignore it." Satsuki twitched; man, was the Senju good at getting sympathy from others or what. She slammed the bottle down with more force than intended, throwing the boy a furious glare and standing. "I'm leaving," she said coldly, already turning and leaving.
Sakura glanced at the empty seat beside her then back at Naruto's face which was full of stunned hurt. It was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her crush but he didn't seem to be in the mood anymore.
"I think we should all head home," offered the pinkette. "My parents would be roaming the streets for me." Just as she said that, she heard a familiar woman's voice shouting her name. She winced, knowing that she was in for an earful. "Sorry, they're here. Gotta go!"
Naruto sighed heavily, watching as Sakura ran towards her father and mother. He glanced down, feeling nostalgic, missing something he'd never known. His mood worsened when he saw Sakura's father ruffled her pink hair; he wondered how it'd feel like. Guess he'd never know for the rest of his life; the Ero-sennin had ruffled his hair before and the perverted sage was really the only father-figure he had in life, but what he really wanted was a real and living dad, not a hero.
He considered his options as he left the ramen stand—dimly recalling that he hadn't paid for the food but he was too depressed and the owners weren't paying attention—walking in the night. Sounds of scuffles and a man's voice leering reached his ears, prompting him to turn.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw two grown men cornering a pale and much smaller in comparison girl; what surprised him even more was that the girl was Satsuki! "Why… why isn't she fighting back?" he wondered as he approached. But when one of the man reached out to touch the girl's raven hair, he snapped; seeing red, he lunged, punching the man and sending him flying into the lamppost.
He glanced back at Satsuki as he kicked the other man in the groin. "Why didn't you fight back?" he demanded hotly.
Satsuki scowled at him, her cheeks flushed. "I.. I don't need your… urh… help…" she was slurring, like she was drunk.
"Wait, just a few glasses and you're down!?" The Uchiha scowled at him before she turned and stumbled.
"You are so troublesome," Naruto grumbled as he took her hand, gently guiding her away from running straight into the wall; he had ran into a wall once, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. "I'll take you home." He paused. "Wait, where do you live?" He received no answer; when he glanced down, he figured that from her closed eyelids, she was asleep. "Oh, great," he muttered sarcastically as he carried her on his back and made his way back to his own apartment.
When they reached, Satsuki had already woken up but instead of making things easier for him, she was doing the opposite. Naruto regretted jostling her so much when he was searching for his apartment key. The moment the raven saw his apartment, which was a fucking mess, she was already complaining.
"This place," she grumbled as he carried her in. "is a fucking mess. It's like a dumpster."
Naruto wanted to say something scathing back, but he calmed himself down by arguing that she was drunk and maybe she didn't mean what she said. Satsuki squinted, scowling. "Put me down," she whined.
"Sure," the blonde said, letting her onto her feet, keeping a hold on her forearm in case she stumbled and fell. "Anyways, you'll be sleeping on the couch."
"Hell no," the black-eyed girl instantly rebuked. "I refuse to sleep on that… rock."
"Are you seeing things?" Naruto demanded, frustrated, but he sighed; it was pointless arguing with a drunk and stubborn Uchiha. "Fine," he grumbled. "Take the bed, princess, I'll sleep on the couch which is pretty much comfortable." The last part was a fucking lie and they both knew it, from the triumphant look Satsuki gave him as she stumbled to the bed and crumpled on it.
Naruto went about his business first, and after he showered he carelessly threw himself down on the couch, and it was really ouch. He hissed in pain, at where his neck had hit the armrest; he was going to sue the guy who made this. He tried to made himself comfortable on the couch, but no matter how he tossed or turned, he couldn't fall asleep and it was wholly uncomfortable.
Dammit; Satsuki was such a bother, he glared at the ceiling. Abruptly, he sat up and glance around at the dark room. His eyes eventually landed on the migraine of his day—and might be for the rest of his life—which was currently holding the form of a very pretty girl with pale skin and black hair. But unlike when she was awake, her face was unguarded, the hard and cold mask was done and she looked almost friendlier and cheerful when she was asleep.
He could almost picture a much younger Satsuki, the girl who had her family and gave her smiles freely to anyone who looked.
Huh, he wondered how she would look like now if she smiled.
***
In the morning, with the hangover bugging her, Satsuki was even more of an asshole than usual. She moaned, groaned and complained. Even things that shouldn't bother her or usually bypass her bitchy radar became noticeable; Naruto wondered did Uchiha eyes see things in more detail when the beholder were drunk.
"This place is a fucking mess."
"You said that last night, bastard."
"Clean it up. Throw that away. Clear the scrolls, what if someone tripped? Wash your clothes, moron, it's clogging my noes with the bad smell." With patience he didn't know he had, Naruto did as told even though it was through gritted teeth, clenched fists and mantras of don't kill Satsuki, hangover's the reason she's acting like this. Just as he was done piling his dirty clothes, Satsuki spoke up again. "Buy some curtains why don't you. The sun's killing my eyes."
By this point, Naruto was all but ready to throw the girl out but his dad had said to be more polite with the ladies after all.
He grumbled this thought out loud as he prepared an icepack for the Uchiha. She snatched it out of his grasp without so much as a word of gratitude. Eventually, she spoke, "He sounds wise, unlike you."
"No idea. Never met him." A brief confused glance and he elaborated. "He wrote a letter for me, in case he really died on mission, filled with things he wanted to teach me and tell me."
Satsuki remained silent, pressing the icepack to her forehead and closing her eyes. She didn't say anything, merely nodded, and Naruto knew that she understood his feelings. She turned away from the blinding sun though—It had to be about, what, nine, judging from the sun's position—"Holy cow!" he yelled, unintentionally raising his voice in the presence of a hangover victim.
Satsuki threw him a furious glare, clasping her ears and nursing her migraine. "Idiot," she hissed venomously. "Keep your voice down!"
"We're late! Kakashi-sensei must've been there already, we're already later than him!" Naruto was about rush around, getting ready when he felt his wrist being enclosed in a grip. "Let go of me, teme, I have to get ready!"
"Let him taste his own medicine," Satsuki grumbled in return. "Let me sleep. Besides, you still haven't sweep the floor of crumbs. Where's breakfast?"
Naruto's jaw dropped, did the girl think this was her apartment or something? But when Satsuki shot him a furious glare, he complied hastily as she shuffled into the bathroom. When she emerged, drying her hair with his towel (he better not point that out lest she vent her anger on him), she looked at him oddly.
"Why did you do as I told you to?" she asked, confused. "Why did you help me in the first place?"
"Firstly, I'm not your slave, your bitching is just the motivation I needed to clean this place up. Secondly, that's what friends are for." Naruto turned to look at her with a long-suffering look on his face. "Got it—" his voice died when he saw the slightest quirk of her lips.
It was a smile, he knew it was a smile. But in the blink of an eye, the smile was gone as she'd turned her head. "Hurry up and clean up. We'll be late."
He grinned.