goodnight
"Sakura," Ino whispered into the dark. "What are you thinking about?"
Sakura stared up at the ceiling fan in Ino's room. "Sasuke-kun."
Silence. The girls were tucked into the double futon in Ino's room. Ino's mother had already come to tell them goodnight. Ino's father had already brought them extra quilts. The lights had already been turned out, but neither one could sleep. It was cold and the darkness felt strange. Sakura had not slept over for so long...
"Why? What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked presently.
Ino looked over at Sakura and almost laughed. "Sasuke, of course. Who else?"
Sakura nodded. "I just can't help it. I worry about him."
Ino let out a sigh. "I know." Her hand found Sakura's under the blankets and squeezed.
Sakura squeezed back. Ino's hand was warm. "I hope he's warm enough tonight."
"He'll be all right." Ino pulled the covers up to her chin, letting her head sink back into her pillow. "He's smart enough to take care of himself."
"Right." Sakura smiled fondly. "He's very smart."
"He's a genius." Ino agreed. She liked smart people.
"He always knows just what to do in a fight," added Sakura. She liked people who were decisive and strong.
"He always knows what to say." Ino smiled to herself. "He's so cool."
Sakura cuddled closer to Ino, feeling drawn together by their mutual admission of this fact. "Have you noticed how tall he's getting?" Sakura asked, feeling a thrill of blush creep to her cheeks. "He's so mature now."
Her friend nodded. "His shoulders. They're more... broader now."
"More broad." Sakura corrected, always the top student.
"Yeah." Ino licked her lips. "He's so sexy."
Sakura flushed at Ino's use of her favorite term. Somehow sexy still felt like a dirty word. Besides, what did it really mean anyway? If something that was tasty meant you wanted to taste it, if something was sexy, did that mean you wanted to have sex with it? Should she really be thinking about that, at their age?
Ino was going on. "I'd love to get my hands on those shoulders. And... he has a cute butt, too."
Sakura bristled. "What?"
"Sssh!" Ino hissed. "You'll wake up my parents." The blonde paused for a moment, listening. When no parental noise followed, she continued. "I said he has a cute butt."
"I know," Sakura muttered back. "I was expressing surprise at your observation, not asking what you had said."
"Oh, come on, Sakura. Don't act like you haven't looked."
Sakura blinked. She really hadn't. Was that weird or something? She tried to conjure up her mental image of Sasuke to see if she could remember what it looked like. She wasn't sure. Maybe next time she saw him, she'd sneak a peek. Just a short one. Her face felt warmer thinking about it.
The girls were quiet for a moment, each in thought. Wind howled outside and Sakura shuddered closer to Ino's shoulder. Ino smoothed Sakura's hair out of her face and tried to be consoling.
"When do you think he'll be ready to start dating?" Sakura mused.
Ino shrugged. "Maybe in a few years?"
"Yeah," Sakura replied, half-heartedly. She knew better. Until Sasuke got his revenge...
The blonde murmured softly, "I wonder what going on a date with him would be like."
"Holding his hand..." The pink-haired girl on her shoulder added.
"I'd want him to buy me flowers."
"I'd want him to walk me home."
"No way! I'd want everyone to see me with him and be jealous." Ino's lips twisted into a rueful smile.
"Then..." Sakura whispered, "the goodnight."
"A goodnight kiss," her friend agreed, gleefully.
"A kiss." Sakura closed her eyes. "Ino."
"Yeah?" Ino's eyes rolled down to the top of Sakura's head. She felt her cheeks redden at the closeness.
"What do you think it would be like?" Sakura was nestled into Ino's shoulder. The other girl's soft blonde hair smelled like vanilla. She liked the smell, so sweet it tickled her nose.
"What?"
"What do you think the kiss would be like?" Sakura's voice was breathy, dreamy. "Sasuke's goodnight kiss."
Ino looked down at Sakura's closed eyes, at her lashes softly curling over her rosy cheeks, at her perfectly shaped, perfectly pink, pouting lips. "It would be perfect," she said, with determination. "The most perfect kiss."
"Mmm," was all Sakura said.
"What would you want it to be like?" Ino asked, curious.
"Soft," Sakura murmured. "Soft and slow. And gentle." Sweet. It would be a promise, erase all of the pain, all of the wishing and hoping and crying and worrying.
"Mine," Ino began, "mine would be hot and very, very passionate." Intense. It would be a release, letting all of the feelings and the desire and the tension unravel, joining two into one.
"I wonder what it would feel like," whispered Sakura. She touched her fingertips to her lips.
Sakura opened her eyes at glanced over to her friend, only to find that the other girl was already looking at her. She found she didn't want to look away. They lay there, staring into one another's eyes, for what felt like a long time. The tick-tick-tick of Ino's alarm clock and the sounds of the wind outside seemed to grow louder and louder.
Sakura broke the silence. "Ino."
"Y-yeah?"
"I--" Sakura swallowed. Ino's face was so close that she could feel her breathing. She saw Ino lick her lips, the slick moisture shining in the darkness. She hesitated, then moved in closer to brush her lips against Ino's in a tentative kiss.
Ino's lips felt warmer than anything, smooth and wet. Ino didn't shy away; she met Sakura's lips gently, slowly. Sakura could taste toothpaste from when they had brushed their teeth before bed. She could taste her own strawberry lip balm on Ino. She could feel Ino licking it off of her lips.
Ino pulled Sakura closer, wove her fingers through pale pink strands of hair. Sakura's mouth melted into hers, the hot smoothness of her tongue slipped through to tease Ino's. Ino let her in, opened wide to her. Neither girl really knew what to do, it just happened, instinctively. It was awkward, it was curious. It was exciting. It felt like heaven.
But the kiss ended, and Ino drew back, breathless. She looked up at Sakura, who was gazing back at her wide-eyed. They lay there for a long moment, breathing each other's breath. Then sensation gave way to cold reality. Deep blush crept to each girl's face as each understood what she had just done, she had gone and done it, and now there was nothing to say, now there was nothing to do.
"That's... what it would be like, then, I guess," Sakura offered, presently, "my first kiss." She looked sideways at Ino, her eyes hopeful.
Relief seemed to wash over Ino's features. She gave an all-knowing sort of nod. "Just like that."
"Then," Sakura breathed, "then it will be... nice."
Ino turned away, onto her back, and pulled the covers up to her chin again. "G-goodnight, Sakura."
Sakura did not turn away. She laid her head down again, close to Ino's. "Goodnight, Ino," she whispered.
.
owari...
"Sakura," Ino whispered into the dark. "What are you thinking about?"
Sakura stared up at the ceiling fan in Ino's room. "Sasuke-kun."
Silence. The girls were tucked into the double futon in Ino's room. Ino's mother had already come to tell them goodnight. Ino's father had already brought them extra quilts. The lights had already been turned out, but neither one could sleep. It was cold and the darkness felt strange. Sakura had not slept over for so long...
"Why? What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked presently.
Ino looked over at Sakura and almost laughed. "Sasuke, of course. Who else?"
Sakura nodded. "I just can't help it. I worry about him."
Ino let out a sigh. "I know." Her hand found Sakura's under the blankets and squeezed.
Sakura squeezed back. Ino's hand was warm. "I hope he's warm enough tonight."
"He'll be all right." Ino pulled the covers up to her chin, letting her head sink back into her pillow. "He's smart enough to take care of himself."
"Right." Sakura smiled fondly. "He's very smart."
"He's a genius." Ino agreed. She liked smart people.
"He always knows just what to do in a fight," added Sakura. She liked people who were decisive and strong.
"He always knows what to say." Ino smiled to herself. "He's so cool."
Sakura cuddled closer to Ino, feeling drawn together by their mutual admission of this fact. "Have you noticed how tall he's getting?" Sakura asked, feeling a thrill of blush creep to her cheeks. "He's so mature now."
Her friend nodded. "His shoulders. They're more... broader now."
"More broad." Sakura corrected, always the top student.
"Yeah." Ino licked her lips. "He's so sexy."
Sakura flushed at Ino's use of her favorite term. Somehow sexy still felt like a dirty word. Besides, what did it really mean anyway? If something that was tasty meant you wanted to taste it, if something was sexy, did that mean you wanted to have sex with it? Should she really be thinking about that, at their age?
Ino was going on. "I'd love to get my hands on those shoulders. And... he has a cute butt, too."
Sakura bristled. "What?"
"Sssh!" Ino hissed. "You'll wake up my parents." The blonde paused for a moment, listening. When no parental noise followed, she continued. "I said he has a cute butt."
"I know," Sakura muttered back. "I was expressing surprise at your observation, not asking what you had said."
"Oh, come on, Sakura. Don't act like you haven't looked."
Sakura blinked. She really hadn't. Was that weird or something? She tried to conjure up her mental image of Sasuke to see if she could remember what it looked like. She wasn't sure. Maybe next time she saw him, she'd sneak a peek. Just a short one. Her face felt warmer thinking about it.
The girls were quiet for a moment, each in thought. Wind howled outside and Sakura shuddered closer to Ino's shoulder. Ino smoothed Sakura's hair out of her face and tried to be consoling.
"When do you think he'll be ready to start dating?" Sakura mused.
Ino shrugged. "Maybe in a few years?"
"Yeah," Sakura replied, half-heartedly. She knew better. Until Sasuke got his revenge...
The blonde murmured softly, "I wonder what going on a date with him would be like."
"Holding his hand..." The pink-haired girl on her shoulder added.
"I'd want him to buy me flowers."
"I'd want him to walk me home."
"No way! I'd want everyone to see me with him and be jealous." Ino's lips twisted into a rueful smile.
"Then..." Sakura whispered, "the goodnight."
"A goodnight kiss," her friend agreed, gleefully.
"A kiss." Sakura closed her eyes. "Ino."
"Yeah?" Ino's eyes rolled down to the top of Sakura's head. She felt her cheeks redden at the closeness.
"What do you think it would be like?" Sakura was nestled into Ino's shoulder. The other girl's soft blonde hair smelled like vanilla. She liked the smell, so sweet it tickled her nose.
"What?"
"What do you think the kiss would be like?" Sakura's voice was breathy, dreamy. "Sasuke's goodnight kiss."
Ino looked down at Sakura's closed eyes, at her lashes softly curling over her rosy cheeks, at her perfectly shaped, perfectly pink, pouting lips. "It would be perfect," she said, with determination. "The most perfect kiss."
"Mmm," was all Sakura said.
"What would you want it to be like?" Ino asked, curious.
"Soft," Sakura murmured. "Soft and slow. And gentle." Sweet. It would be a promise, erase all of the pain, all of the wishing and hoping and crying and worrying.
"Mine," Ino began, "mine would be hot and very, very passionate." Intense. It would be a release, letting all of the feelings and the desire and the tension unravel, joining two into one.
"I wonder what it would feel like," whispered Sakura. She touched her fingertips to her lips.
Sakura opened her eyes at glanced over to her friend, only to find that the other girl was already looking at her. She found she didn't want to look away. They lay there, staring into one another's eyes, for what felt like a long time. The tick-tick-tick of Ino's alarm clock and the sounds of the wind outside seemed to grow louder and louder.
Sakura broke the silence. "Ino."
"Y-yeah?"
"I--" Sakura swallowed. Ino's face was so close that she could feel her breathing. She saw Ino lick her lips, the slick moisture shining in the darkness. She hesitated, then moved in closer to brush her lips against Ino's in a tentative kiss.
Ino's lips felt warmer than anything, smooth and wet. Ino didn't shy away; she met Sakura's lips gently, slowly. Sakura could taste toothpaste from when they had brushed their teeth before bed. She could taste her own strawberry lip balm on Ino. She could feel Ino licking it off of her lips.
Ino pulled Sakura closer, wove her fingers through pale pink strands of hair. Sakura's mouth melted into hers, the hot smoothness of her tongue slipped through to tease Ino's. Ino let her in, opened wide to her. Neither girl really knew what to do, it just happened, instinctively. It was awkward, it was curious. It was exciting. It felt like heaven.
But the kiss ended, and Ino drew back, breathless. She looked up at Sakura, who was gazing back at her wide-eyed. They lay there for a long moment, breathing each other's breath. Then sensation gave way to cold reality. Deep blush crept to each girl's face as each understood what she had just done, she had gone and done it, and now there was nothing to say, now there was nothing to do.
"That's... what it would be like, then, I guess," Sakura offered, presently, "my first kiss." She looked sideways at Ino, her eyes hopeful.
Relief seemed to wash over Ino's features. She gave an all-knowing sort of nod. "Just like that."
"Then," Sakura breathed, "then it will be... nice."
Ino turned away, onto her back, and pulled the covers up to her chin again. "G-goodnight, Sakura."
Sakura did not turn away. She laid her head down again, close to Ino's. "Goodnight, Ino," she whispered.
.
owari...