Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi. Bummer.
A/N: Hello minna-san! This may be a bit late but think of this as a Valentine Present. It's just a little one-shot which my beta-reader forced me to do. I want you guys to read it to your hearts content but I don't know if you can count this as romantic but…just let me know, ok?
Watching You…
1st year
Valentines Day…
12:00 NN
"Man, what a day," 13-year old Uchiha Sasuke said to himself as he headed to the rooftop. For him, it was his favorite place in the world and at the same time, his hiding place whenever the date February 14 took place.
What was that day you ask? Why it was the day of hearts, flowers and chocolates.
Valentines Day.
Hoo-boy.
"Not my favorite day of the year," he added as he strode down the noisy hallway where students, male and female, were exchanging gifts and acting like people from another world. He cringed at the love-filled atmosphere. Sasuke could never understand why Valentines Day was treated as a joyous occasion whereas for him, it was nothing more but a pink-filled nightmare.
Every Valentines Day, girls would surround him like swarms of locusts. He then would use all kinds of tactics to send them away, even disguising himself as a lowly geek in order to scare them off. But no matter how many attempts he made to drive the obsessed female horde, they still managed to get near him like bees to honey.
It was even creepier when he found out that they somewhat knew his phone number.
Sasuke shuddered at the thought as he began climbing the stairs leading to the rooftop when sounds coming from beyond the stairs startled him.
…………
"I want you to have this."
"Really?"
"Go on, take it."
"N-No…I couldn't possibly take it…"
"If you don't want to take this, it'll tear my heart apart."
"Well…in that case, okay!"
The raven-haired teen raised a brow from what he just heard. Normally, it was wrong to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation. In addition to that, it was not normal especially for a guy like him to mind other people's business.
"Lovebirds. And that girl was pretty clueless. Accepting a gift when she didn't even have an idea where it came from," he mused. But there was something amiss…
Well, if he were really in a normal mode, he would just sigh, shrug his shoulders and go find a place to hide. But today was Valentines Day and he was on his way to the rooftop to hide when unexpectedly, he heard people talking.
There was something strange about the particular conversation going on so he decided to eavesdrop. But after concluding to himself that it was boring, he continued his way to the rooftop. He had other things to do.
2nd year
Valentines Day
4:00 PM
"Happy Valentines Day, Sasuke-kun!"
He sweatdropped as he saw a flock of girls block his way to his locker. Flinching at the sight of pink hearts and the heavy scent of chocolate, he forced himself to relax. 'Damn, I almost forgot its Valentines Day,' he thought.
After accepting the chocolates, letters and flowers against his will, he stashed them inside his locker then planned to dispose of them later. Finally, he got the book he wanted after rummaging through his locker for several minutes. Sasuke then headed to the rooftop to study. As he climbed the stairs, he suddenly began to hear eerie sounds.
"What was that?" he blurted out. If that was a ghost, then he was a bit too early in celebrating Halloween. If that were a fangirl, he would have to run away. If that was his best friend and number one admirer Uzumaki Naruto…
Oh man. He'll definitely sock him.
But the sounds still continued and judging from its pitch and intensity, it wasn't a male voice. He sighed in relief. 'No homosexual admirers. Good. But what was that sound? That was not normal,' he thought.
Curiosity egged him, so he followed the sound and his onyx eyes widened when he discovered that it came from the girl's bathroom. He looked around, checking to see that there were no students present in the area. After making sure that there was no one around to see him, he tiptoed slowly inside the bathroom.
…………
There was pink everywhere.
Sasuke inwardly shuddered at the heady scent of perfume and the pink tiled walls that seemed to encase him as he entered the restroom. The eerie sounds went louder and louder so he decided to creep quietly to get closer. When he got close to actually hear the sounds, he almost fell to the ground in a loud hoot.
There was a girl standing in front of the sink and apparently was not doing anything hygienic. With rosy-colored hair, her outstretched arms were clasping a rose and based from his observation, were offering the thorny plant at the mirror, or rather, to herself.
"Please accept this red rose as a token of my love."
"I-I'm sorry but I already have my eyes on someone."
"I understand. But it won't hurt my fragile feelings if you take this delicate rose."
"Well I…"
"Pretty please?"
"If you say so…then I'll take it!"
'This is so not normal,' he said to himself. He could understand that on Valentines Day, the boys receive chocolates from the girls but in this case…there was a stupid girl inside the bathroom, standing in front of a mirror and offering a flower to herself instead of giving it to someone she likes.
"Maybe she's narcissistic or something," he guessed. Well, being a narcissist was no longer strange to him. His older brother Itachi was the living proof of that. Or maybe the girl's really desperate. Or maybe…it was because there was no guy around to notice her silly display of charm.
Silence ticked by for a couple of minutes and he mentally smacked himself. 'What the hell? I totally forgot. I'm the only guy around to notice her silly display of charm.'
The girl was already swooning at her reflection from the mirror and he couldn't help but laugh from the sight. He tried to cover his chuckle but it was too late. His muffled laugh rang at the stillness of the room and the girl was petrified that someone had discovered her little secret.
She began to look around the bathroom, and Sasuke thanked the deceased Hokages that he wasn't discovered and safely ensconced inside the cubicle. The girl immediately stuffed her things and the rose inside her bag then dashed out of the room.
Sasuke was about to follow suit but then he heard a clicking of footsteps and the sounds of giggling girls. He slumped back inside the cubicle with a ragged sigh.
He was trapped.
"Shit," he cursed. He sat back against the top of the toilet seat when he couldn't help but listen to the girls' ramblings.
3rd year
Valentines Day
6:00 AM
Sasuke rubbed his eye sleepily. It was dawn and he was on his way to the training grounds for some practice. It was Valentines Day and he didn't want to encounter any lovesick girl that would throw herself at his feet and offer him flowers and those horribly sweet chocolates.
"If they will offer tomatoes instead of chocolates, then I will be happy to reconsider," he muttered. Afterwards, he passed the wrought iron gate and entered the training grounds.
He was walking down the cobblestone pathway when he saw the same pink-haired girl from last year. She was sitting on the wooden platform used for fishing with her toes flapping on the water. She was grinning, and this seemed to amuse him. He decided to quit training for a while to further observe his object of interest.
He leaned back against a sturdy tree for better viewing until he heard the same sounds like the time he found her in the bathroom. She was muttering to herself again and this time she was tossing flower petals on the water. He crossed his arms then smirked.
She was really an annoying specimen.
And then she fished something out of her bag. To his surprise, it was a makeshift bouquet made out of cherry blossoms. She offered the flowers to the lake which, according to his hypothesis, to herself.
"Here. I decided to give you these sweet-smelling blossoms because of the distinct shade of your hair."
"I-I cannot accept such gift. I'm already with someone else."
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. She was already involved with someone?
She still continued her imaginary play, offering the bouquet to the empty air. "I don't care. You're the only one that I want. Please accept this…even from a friend."
"Well…okay, if you say so!"
He straightened himself up then decided to leave.
His conclusion: The girl was apparently insane.
4th year
Valentines Day
8:00 PM
"Sasuke, don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed!"
"I know that! You didn't have to remind me," he snarled at his brother as he went inside his room. He slammed the door shut, hinting that he wouldn't want to be disturbed then slumped in his bed. He may appreciate his brother's affectionate concerns but it was too much. He was 16 and literally an adult. Well, almost but it was still the same.
He cursed under his breath. He was in a bad mood. In a very, very bad mood.
To find out why he was in a bad mood, let's take a few steps backward at the events from school…
…………
Sasuke dodged some of his fangirls when they tried to shower him with their intricate presents. Seriously, he was about to graduate from school and they still continued to give him with the same thing every year. Eventually it didn't grow on him. It irritated him instead.
He was heading to his hiding place for a rest when he heard the same girl again. He decided to listen for a little bit when another voice startled him.
"Please accept this chocolate as a token of my love."
"I'm sorry but I can't accept your gift. I'm…"
He heard a chuckle. It was a boy's. "I know. You're already involved with someone else right?"
Sasuke immediately looked to see who's talking with the pink-haired girl. His eyes narrowed when he saw that she was talking to Hyuuga Neji, one of the most popular guys in school. He clenched his fist. Well, second to him of course.
Instead of barging at the scene, he resorted to watching them with fierce eyes. How dare that Hyuuga! Taking chances with her! He was about to take a step forward when he suddenly stopped himself.
And since when did he care?
Confused with his feelings, he left the scene.
…………
And now…
The raven-haired teen sat up in bed. He was still confused from the events that occurred earlier, and it was annoying. Someone else has noticed his specimen and he couldn't do anything about it. He ran his hands through his hair. Nope. It was not like he couldn't do anything.
He wouldn't.
He sighed as he stared at the window. It has been three years and in every Valentines Day, he watched her offer flowers to an imaginary crush or to make matters worse, to herself. It wasn't narcissism, he concluded in his said hypothesis.
There was something else.
It was as if the girl was waiting for someone to notice her, and sadly, there was one who did. Sasuke raked his fingers through his hair again. No. Neji wasn't the only one who noticed her. Although her antics were unusual and rather stupid, there was something about her that caused him to act like he shouldn't have.
"How stupid. Here I am, thinking of a logical answer when it was supposed to be easy. The reason why I kept on watching her and getting all worked up with that Hyuuga is because… "
"I cared."
4 years later…
Valentines Day
12:00 NN
Sasuke sighed as he closed his book. Four years had passed and he didn't seem to mind the passage of time. After getting a degree in college, his father immediately put him into position as the vice president of their company.
Itachi was there, so he didn't have to worry about losing his ground. He was sitting at the booth of a café that was near his workplace and he was meeting with someone.
"Good morning Sir. What would you like to have?"
He raised his head to answer when he paused. Although wearing a black frilled skirt with apron, he was not mistaken. It was the same girl he…well, not exactly met, but rather, observed.
It was also the first time he saw her up close and personal. She had her hair short and her eyes were green. Sasuke swallowed. His gaze averted from her face then to the nametag pinned at her left breast.
Sakura.
So that was her name.
"Well I…I," he stammered. 'Damn, this was the first time we talked and now, I stammer? Since when did I do that? An Uchiha does not stammer!' he ruefully thought.
Sakura on the other hand blinked in confusion. "Excuse me, may I take your order, Sir?" she asked again.
"Uh…yes I…" he tried again but to no avail. He was too stunned. So he ended up pointing his menu at the first thing he saw. "This one! I would like to try this one!"
Sakura looked at the food he was pointing at and she sweatdropped.
"Um…okay. Please wait for a moment."
Few minutes later, Sasuke unhappily feasted on natto and dango.
…………
4:00 PM
"What a day," he said to himself as he exited the building. As always, Itachi piled him with lots and lots of paperwork and it was getting on his nerves. Sasuke glared at the afternoon sky above him. "I hate it when I'm being ordered around."
He then decided to head to the training ground for some exercise when he heard something coming from the alleyway.
Curious at the sound, he followed where it came from. Upon reaching it, his eyes went wide.
"It's been a long time since we last saw each other. I want to give you this as a token of my love."
"I…I'm afraid I can't accept such gift, Sir. I'm not supposed to accept a gift especially from a customer."
"It's alright. I've searched for you everywhere. If you can't accept this gift, I'll ran away with another woman and I'm not giving you presents anymore."
"I'm sorry! I'll accept it! Thank you very much!"
Sasuke crossed his arms. She still hadn't changed a bit. Stupid girl. She was already old enough to understand the world when here she was trapped in her own fantasies. Well, time to burst the bubble.
"Oi."
Sakura's eyes immediately opened. She glanced around for any signs of her lurker. When she saw none, she sighed in relief. But Sasuke stepped forward and greeted her. "Yo."
She instantly froze on the spot. "Eep! W-What are you doing here, S-Sasuke-san! You shouldn't be here, this is an alleyway!" She squeaked again then flung a hand on her mouth.
Oops…A smirk crossed his lips. She called him by his name. That was a first. "You knew my name?" he asked innocently. But why did she act like she was indifferent around him earlier? Maybe it was because…
She laughed nervously. "Gomene, Sasuke-san. You were famous during our high school years and that's why I got to know your name."
"Famous? How did I become famous?"
Sakura smiled. "Because whenever it was Valentines Day, you get to accept lots of gifts from our female classmates. You were also known to dodge some of your admirers or so what I have thought."
Sasuke's face faltered. "You knew all that?"
"Yup."
Oh well… Sasuke smirked again. It was now or never. He ran a hand through his hair, a developed habit of his as he walked towards Sakura. The pink-haired girl backed out, afraid that she did something that upsets him.
He stopped in front of her and did the one thing he always wanted to do in those past years.
He kissed her.
Present day…
Valentines Day
6:00 AM
Sasuke stared at the numerous boxes and bouquets of flowers lying on his doorstep.
It was Valentine's Day again.
He received an early wake up call from his brother. He rose up from bed then went to fetch his morning paper when a barrage of gifts from his fangirls flooded his front door just as soon as he opened it.
He bent down to pick up one heart shaped box with his name written on the card. "Feh. They sure know how to make your day a living hell. Instead of leaving you alone, they leave you with trash."
With nothing else to do, Sasuke scooped up all of the gifts from his doorstep. He then made a mental note to buy ten more black garbage bags. There will be more onslaughts of gifts in the afternoon and especially in the evening. After stuffing all of it in the trash, he subsequently prepared for work.
…………
3:50 PM
Sasuke rubbed his sore neck. His brother sure knew how to give a cruel punishment. After signing hundreds of contracts and meeting lots of business associates, he thought that his day wouldn't end. Just because he was only late for five minutes…
"At least I still have time," he said to himself as he rounded to another corner then finally stopped in front of a dilapidated apartment. He checked his watch. A little early but that's all right. He made his way up the stone steps and without further ado, knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
He knocked again, for about five times or so and it was still the same. Mentally ticked off, he decided to use the spare key she gave him. As he fished the key out of his pocket he winced. 'Why haven't I thought of using this before?' As he jiggled the key into the lock, he continued, 'Oh yeah…she mentioned something about privacy…'
After fussing with the key for a couple of seconds, Sasuke finally opened the door. He slowly twisted the knob and then entered the house. Closing the door behind him, he looked around for any signs of her. Unfortunately, there was no one in the living room. He scratched his head. 'Hn. Really annoying…' he thought glumly.
He decided to walk around the apartment for a little bit when he heard eerie sounds coming from the bathroom. 'What the?' he asked himself. He decided to check out the uncanny phenomenon. In the back of his mind, he had a pretty good hunch on what it was. Reaching the door, he grabbed the knob then opened the door bit by bit.
Sasuke raised a brow.
"From the moment I saw you; I have always wanted to give this to you. Please accept it."
"I…I don't know…this is too sudden. And I'm still studying…"
"Don't worry; I'll take good care of you. I'll do my best to support you in your studies."
"But I…"
"Please…just take it, I promise; when we get married, I'll treat you like a real-life princess in my home."
"Why didn't you say so? Okay! Give me everything you've got!"
"But I didn't bring everything with me," Sasuke answered back coolly, crossing his arms.
"Ehhhh????" The girl broke her gaze at the mirror and instead, looked at his obsidian eyes. A deep red blush appeared on her cheeks as she chewed her lower lip in a 'You-caught-me-in-a-bad-time' gesture. "Have you been standing there for a long time, Sasuke-kun?" she asked innocently.
The Uchiha smirked. "Just now. Sakura, if someone barged in unexpectedly and caught you talking to yourself in the mirror, they would really freak out, you know."
Sakura stuck her tongue playfully at him. "I couldn't help it! I was just practicing my lines in case you decided to…you know…uh…say that."
Instead of answering, he sauntered in front of her and grabbed her left hand. He lifted it so that the jade-encrusted ring on her ring finger shone in the afternoon light. The pink-haired girl blushed at their sudden closeness while he sighed. "I don't need to say those lines. We're going to be married in a few days. The only time you'll be doing your little monologues is when you're practicing your wedding vows. Is that clear?"
"You don't need to tell me that, Sasuke-kun!"
"Hn."
…………
After their little chat in the bathroom, the two of them were now cuddled in the couch and sipping tea. Sasuke admired the pleasant look on his fiancée's face when he remembered something.
"Sakura."
"Hm?"
"I've always wanted to ask you this…"
Her emerald green eyes crinkled. "What is it?"
He took in a deep breath. "Since when did you start doing those monologues? And why were you giving yourself flowers every Valentines Day?"
When he saw the amused look on her face, he scowled. "You don't have to stare at me oddly like that!"
Sakura giggled. "Oh sorry, Sasuke-kun. I never meant to stare at you like that. Why do you want to know, anyway?"
"Uh…just crossed my mind."
She laughed again. He glared at her.
"All right. It all started when…"
A/N: All right! It's finally finished. I want to apologize for the very long delay but since this is for Valentines Day, then…
B/N: Aren't you glad I forced him? He said I was MEAN! Me? I'm too kind… ()v
A/N: And so says the beta reader. Sheeessshhh…anyways, please don't forget to tell me what you think. And just a reminder, before you choke me to death, this is not connected to Yokoso! It's a bit frustrating but it isn't! Anyway, here's a behind-the-scenes excerpt on what my beta reader and I planned for our Valentines Day oneshot…
…………
(It was during dinnertime, on Valentines Day…)
B: Since it's Valentines Day, do you know what this means?
A: Nope. (Eating nothing but a riceball)
B: (looks angry and agitated) It's now time to give the readers a Valentine's Day Special! Start thinking of a good idea right away! Now!
A: Nah. I'm too tired. My fingers won't work and I need another riceball please.
B: (grabs the remaining riceball and hides it from our beloved author) Bwahahaha! You can't have one unless you write a story!
A: But I don't have an idea…(Beta reader bonks him on the head) Ow! (Just then, an idea painfully hit him) All right! We can use that one!
B: Good! Then start writing!
A: Can I have the riceball?
B: No!
A: No wonder those guys in our class were afraid of asking you to be their date on Valentines Day. You're a scrooge!
B: Haha! It doesn't matter! You don't have a date either so you don't have a choice but to start writing!
A: NOOOO! (Sulks to the floor then cries)
…………
A/N: (We always do that. We're kinda weird but we have this master-and-slave relationship. Well, you could probably guess who's the master and who's the slave. Anyway, we'd love to hear from ya!)
B/N: Ohohohohohohohohoho!
Please review! It keeps us inspired really.
Today's question:
Is there going to be a sequel? Why or why not?
(Or you can also give us an idea if you want to have a sequel for this one!)
Yeah, many thanks also to our dear friend Hiyona for the very wonderful idea and also, to my very sadistic beta-reader! Ja ne!