Konnichi wa!
EVERYONE! CLAP FOR ME! THIS IS ANOTHER DEDICATION ONESHOT DONE!
-audience claps. DDB bows-
Thank you, thank you, thank you. –waves-
I'm not posting this as another chapter in Selling Out. I find it's more satisfying to see the oneshots as seperate stories than chapters, if I DO say so myself. :D
Well, this is for Alchemist of the Flame, who was – if I remember correctly – my three hundredth reviewer for Treacherous Heart. She wanted just a normal NaruSasu, so I hope this is 'normal' enough.
Inspiration: My mood ring.
Hope you like it!
Dedication One Shot
Mood Swings
Sasuke was glaring.
He was glaring at nothing particular.
And it freaked Sakura out.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" She asked, running her fingers nervously through her short hair. "You've been staring at that same spot all day! What's wrong?"
"Hn," Sasuke answered crisply, his eyes not leaving the spot which he was glaring. Sakura sighed in exasperation.
"Naruto, you better get here quick," she muttered.
As if on cue, the village's favorite number one hyperactive, knuckled-headed ninja appeared, all grins and headache-inducing orange.
"Hey Sakura! Sasuke! What a mornin', huh? It's beautiful!"
Sakura gave him a small smile.
"Yes. It's nice." She looked upwards. "Not a cloud in the sky."
"Tsk," Sasuke commented, arms crossed moodily.
Naruto cocked his head at his stoic teammate, warring with himself to either insult the bastard until he said two words with the same breath, or to just simply push the Uchiha over the edge of the bridge and wait for the explosion. Both options seemed plausible.
He settled with doing neither, instead, talking to the other.
"What's up, teme? Afraid of being human?"
Scratch that. Insulting the bastard was more fun.
Sasuke's gaze shifted from whatever he had been staring at to Naruto, who was just plain staring at him.
Before either of them knew it, Sasuke's fist had slammed into the blonde's jaw and had forced him onto the bridge's railing, teetering between the wraith of the Uchiha and the ice cold waters of the river.
Sakura scrambled to help Naruto while Sasuke stormed away with a snarling 'Dobe' in his wake, a dark, angry rain cloud forming over his head.
The girl succeeded in pulling Naruto away from the edge, and after he was safely back on the bridge, she stared at him.
"What on earth is wrong with Sasuke?" She asked him. Naruto sighed and rubbed his cheek experimentally, wincing. The bastard was SO in for it.
"Well, it's his mood."
Sakura blinked.
"Mood?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yes. Mood. Sasuke has ten moods: Hn, Hm, Gr, Dobe, Idiot, Moron, Loser, Hmph, Tsk, and Che," he replied.
"What's the difference between 'Hm' and 'Hn'?"
"One has an 'n' while the other has an 'm'."
"Oh. I see. What mood was that?"
Naruto winced, holding his cheek.
"THAT would be the 'Gr' mood," he replied. Sakura glared at him.
"Those aren't moods! Those are just the one-word answers he always gives us!"
Naruto stared at her, exasperated.
"Well, it's better than saying Little Mister Ice Dick has no emotions at all!"
"Naruto! Don't call him that!"
"Would you me rather call him Little Mister Ice Balls?"
"NARUTO!"
"Okay! I'll stop! Jeez!"
"Ugh! That's what happens when you spend so much time with Jiraiya!"
"Hey! That's not my fault!"
Sakura sighed in exasperation before looking up at him.
"So what do we do with Sasuke? I'm SURE he has emotions!"
There was silence for a moment.
Then Naruto face spilt open in a sly grin.
"I've got the perfect idea, Sakura." He smiled at her and winked. "Just watch."
With that, he disappeared.
Later that day, Sasuke was laying in the shade of a tree on a hill closest to the Uchiha estate, arms crossed underneath his head and left leg crossed over right. He was staring up at the leaves – still brooding – when a mass of yellow entered his field of vision.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Dobe?"
Naruto grinned, plopping down next to him as he sat up.
"Hey Sasuke! You're being so much more of a bastard than usual today!" He quipped. Then his expression turned serious. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke glared at him but didn't answer, looking away to the trees.
Naruto glared back at him – angry at the lack of reaction – but then shrugged.
"Say, Sasuke, do you like rings?"
The Uchiha blinked at him, raising an eyebrow. Naruto shrugged again – this time nonchalantly.
"No reason. I just found one on the ground on my way here. It looks cool. You're a size five, right?"
Sasuke simply cocked his head at him as Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"I'm a size seven – it won't fit me, it's too small. And Sakura would probably never wear it. SO…" he turned to the Uchiha expectantly, holding up a simple round ring in his palm. "You want it?"
Sasuke looked at him, glanced down at the ring, and then looked up at him again, his face blank.
Silent, he raised his hand and took the ring in two fingers, raising it up to the sunlight to inspect it before shrugging and sliding onto the middle finger of his left hand.
"Hm," he breathed as he looked down at it. Naruto grinned, standing up.
"You're welcome, Sasuke!" He exclaimed before walking off.
As soon as he was out of sight from the Uchiha, he gave a very un-Naruto-like smirk. Now to wait for the fireworks.
Sasuke would have emotions yet.
It was the day after, and Sasuke was leaning against the railing of the bridge in his usual place, arms crossed. Sakura was with him, but on the opposite side of the bridge. The incident that had happened the day before was still fresh in her mind, and she wondered what Naruto had looked so happy about when he had left – and after getting punched too!
Sakura scowled. Naruto was probably being an idiot again – as USUAL.
"OHAYO, SAKURA! SASUKE!" A singsong voice broke her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Naruto with a grin on his face, hands in his pockets as he bounced over. She straightened.
"Morning, Naruto," she replied. "Had a good day yesterday?"
Naruto's grin widened and he nodded.
"Yep! What about you, Sasuke?" He asked the other.
"Che." Sasuke looked away, scowling.
Naruto glanced down at Sasuke's fingers and grinned.
Bright yellow.
The grin transforming into a cheery smile, he went over to Sasuke and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, making the other stare up at him, a blush (angry or embarrassed, Naruto couldn't be sure) coloring the Uchiha's cheeks.
"Awe, Sasu-chan! There's no need to be so nervous! Just tell us what's on your mind – c'mon! It can't be THAT bad –"
Sasuke's fist had slammed into his face again, but not before Naruto had seen the new color.
Dark yellow.
"IDIOT!" Sasuke roared before whirling and storming off, much to the confusion of Sakura and elation of Naruto. The girl looked at the blonde.
"Naruto, what was THAT –?"
He cut her off with a grin.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I've got this down!" He ran after Sasuke. "I'll find him out yet!"
Sakura – still lost – could only blink after him.
"Wha…?"
"Sasuke! SA-A-A-A-SUKE!"
Naruto's loud cry rang through the trees, and he looked up to see his teammate high up on the limb of a tree, his arms crossed as he stared out at the land. Naruto waved up at him.
"OI! SASUKE!"
The Uchiha didn't give any signs to show he had heard, though Naruto KNEW he had.
Without a second thought, Naruto leaped up into the tree, climbing until he was sitting on the branch beside Sasuke.
The blonde cocked his head at the other.
"Sasuke, what's wrong?" He asked. "Why'd you get so mad?"
"Hmph!" The other replied hotly, turning his head so he wouldn't see his teammate. Naruto glanced down again.
Dark red.
His eyes narrowed.
Before Sasuke could stop him, Naruto had taken a seat beside him, sliding an arm around his back, and resting his chin on the Uchiha's head.
"Awe, Sasuke, don't be mad. It was just a bit of fun – really!" He smiled down at the other, who raised his head to glare at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see trickles of bright yellow joining the red.
He let his head drop lower – closer to Sasuke's.
"What's wrong, pretty baby? Why are you so scared to let people in on how you feel?"
Sasuke's fists clenched as the glare intensified, and Naruto blinked to see the Sharingan flash up at him before the orbs were black once more.
The bright yellow had vanished, leaving only dark red once more.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I see," he breathed, noticing vaguely how small the Uchiha seemed – how little he looked when Naruto towered over him, on his knees on the branch beside Sasuke while the other was sitting completely on the wood. He had never noticed before, but he saw now. The Uchiha was tiny.
But he continued.
"You're afraid to let people in because you're afraid they'll hurt you just like your brother did five years ago."
Sasuke's eyes flashed, and he lashed out.
"LOSER!"
Naruto had expected it, and was ready to grip the other's wrist.
But he didn't expect the limb – strained to begin with because of their combined weights – to give in with the sudden movement and snap off.
He was suddenly acutely aware of wind rushing through his ears, and then he realized he was falling, Sasuke along with him.
Sasuke managed to reach out and grip a larger branch, yanking his self up on it so he was face down – draped across it like a towel on a rack hung up to dry – but Naruto wasn't so lucky.
He missed the branch.
But then he felt a powerful hand grip his wrist, and he looked up to see that Sasuke had caught him, holding his right wrist with his left hand.
Naruto glanced at his fingers once more.
Dark, bright orange – two shades darker but twice as intense as the color of his jumpsuit – met his eyes.
The blonde smiled up at the Uchiha, whose face – even then – was blank.
"Thanks Sasuke."
"Tsk."
Naruto stayed silent, his eyes sparkling.
Naruto opened the door to his apartment, laughing as Sasuke followed in after him.
"Make yourself at home! Would you like some Ramen?" He grinned over at the Uchiha, who had just finished pulling off his sandals. Sasuke blinked at him.
"Hn," he replied, looking away to survey the main room. Naruto took that as a yes and hurried to make the food.
Precisely four minutes later saw them at the small table – their knees nearly touching underneath the table as they ate.
Frequently, Naruto glanced at Sasuke's fingers.
Light green.
Then bright yellow.
Dark red.
Light green again.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.
"You CAN relax, you know," he told him, knowing Sasuke would probably blame his unusual insight on the tension in the Uchiha's shoulders. "It IS just my apartment."
Sasuke glared at him and then continued eating.
Slowly, as Naruto watched, the light green faded.
First to light purple, then to light blue.
Eventually though, it turned to dark blue – like the color of the ocean's depths.
Naruto smiled, and put down his bowl from where he was watching the colors change from over the ceramic rim.
"I'm glad you're so relaxed now!" He told Sasuke cheerfully. The Uchiha's shoulders tensed and a bit of dark red seeped into the dark blue, ruining it. "It makes me happy, you know? That you trust me enough to be relaxed – I really like it! Thank you!"
Sasuke's cheeks flushed slightly and he looked away at the small kitchen. Naruto grinned to see the dark red had completely disappeared, replaced by dark yellow once more.
He smirked.
"You know, Sasuke…"
The Uchiha looked up at him, and then the dark yellow took over when he found Naruto's face inches from his own, the blonde's gorgeous blue eyes half-closed and alluring, drilling into his own. Naruto's voice was soft when he spoke again.
"Aren't you wondering why I can suddenly read you so well?"
Sasuke's flush deepened and – out of the corner of his eye – Naruto could see the dark yellow was replaced with a lighter shade of the color.
He smiled at the Uchiha.
"The ring," he stated simply. "You know – the one I gave you yesterday. I didn't just find it. I bought it because I WANTED you to have it. Do you know what it is, Sasuke?" He didn't risk calling the Uchiha a pet name – not if he didn't want another fist in the face. "It's a mood ring. Your family being what it was, I'm not surprised you've never heard of such a thing. It changes colors according to how you feel – your own energies make it change. Bright yellow is nervousness…" his voice lowered as he continued, his eyes never leaving Sasuke's. "Dark orange is fear. Dark red is anger. Light green is mixed emotions. Black is stressed. Light purple is coolness, dark purple is calm, and dark blue is relaxed. However, the one I'M most interested in…" he drew closer to the Uchiha, noticing how the light yellow was slowly changing into dark orange with tendrils of black. "Is dark yellow. THAT means embarrassment. So tell me, Sasu-chan…" their lips were nearly touching now, and Sasuke hadn't lashed out. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
There was silence for a moment, but then Sasuke snarled underneath Naruto's lips.
"Moron," he hissed before gripping the back of Naruto's head and yanking their mouths together, sending the blonde into a rather sufficient state of shock.
However, the shock soon faded, replaced by a calm mood of what could only be expected from a person that wasn't in the least bit surprised. He knew Sasuke would eventually say something to him about it – he just didn't think the Uchiha would've been so straight forward.
But, oh well. Uchihas were unpredictable sometimes.
Teeth clacked as tongues clashed, and Naruto found himself leaning across the small table, pressing Sasuke flush against the back of his chair.
Reminding himself that – yes – Sasuke was two years younger than him, and yes – the Uchiha probably had no idea what he was doing – Naruto pulled away, opening his eyes.
Gasping, Sasuke opened his own, and they stayed there for a moment, looking at each other with Naruto's hands on his shoulders and the Uchiha's fingers buried in the blonde's hair.
Naruto took Sasuke's left hand from the back of his neck and looked down at it, smirking to see the ring catch the light.
Teal.
"Passion, huh Sasuke? My, my – aren't we a fast worker?"
THAT snapped the Uchiha out of it, and he lashed out to catch the blonde in the jaw.
"ASSHOLE –!"
Naruto easily caught the swing and stood up, yanking Sasuke out of his chair and wrapping his arms around the smaller torso, grinning cheekily at the Uchiha.
"Well, well, well – the Ice Princess has a new mood. 'Asshole', huh? Not very original, don't you think?"
Sasuke glared up at him – the dark red was back again.
But Naruto knew how to change that.
Craning his neck, he leaned down and latched onto Sasuke's throat, digging his teeth into the pale, sensitive skin.
Sasuke jerked underneath him.
"Ngh… Idiot…" he managed to grind out as he pushed vainly at Naruto's biceps, his knees beginning to shake. The blonde hummed into his skin, making him jerk again.
"Gah!" He gasped breathlessly as Naruto tightened his grip, forcing Sasuke's arms to press into his chest.
"I know you like it," the blonde breathed in his ear. "Relax. I'm not going to go far at all." He began nipping at the Uchiha's shoulder, trailing left to the other's throat and impatiently pinching the skin underneath Sasuke's jaw, forcing him to raise his head – forcing him to bare his throat. Grinning, Naruto latched onto the Uchiha's jugular and began to ruthlessly suck.
Gasping, Sasuke writhed against him, vainly pushing at his chest and fruitlessly trying to yank his head away from the naturally talented teeth and tongue that now adored his throat.
Opening one eye, Naruto looked down at the other's left hand.
Bright red met his vision.
Smirking, he pulled away, kissing Sasuke's jaw.
"The ring is bright red now, Sasuke," he breathed into the other's skin. "Do you know what that means?" He smirked into the other's flesh when Sasuke didn't answer. "It means you're nice and aroused. Interesting, huh?"
And he knew it as truth – Sasuke's flesh was heating up underneath his fingers – the Uchiha was gasping in a way that running laps couldn't get him so out of breath.
"Asshole…" he managed to bite out. Naruto wasn't fazed at all as he grinned down at his younger teammate.
"You know it, Sasu-chan," he breathed before letting their lips connect again.
It wasn't as sudden or awkward as last time. This time, Sasuke's hands were allowed to move, allowed to trail as lips and teeth and tongue connected and experimented, explored and tasted in an unusual, sensual rhythm. Sasuke was warm against Naruto's body, the Uchiha's lithe hands sliding over his shoulders and slipping into his hair again, fisting it ruthlessly as they pressed against each other.
Needless to say, Naruto was pleased with himself.
They broke apart, and the blonde smiled down at the gasping Uchiha. He kissed the other's cheek.
"I like you too," he breathed to the other.
Sasuke's eyes shot open and he merely stared at him before his eyes narrowed and his gaze lowered, drifting off to look at the side.
Naruto let his gaze drop to the other's fingers.
Deep, dark purple – even darker than when he was calm.
Naruto smiled, and he nuzzled Sasuke's neck.
"I'm glad it made you happy," he breathed. Stiffening, Sasuke snorted distastefully, but a few caresses of lips and teeth had him relaxing again. Naruto wouldn't complain if they had to stay like that forever.
After a while, his grip on the Uchiha loosened, and he waved the other off as he left.
"Let's do this again sometime, yeah?"
The Uchiha glared at him – the effect ruined by the prominent blush – but didn't say a word.
The dark, dark purple never left the ring.
TWO MONTHS LATER
"SASUKE!"
The Uchiha looked up to see the blonde bouncing into his room.
Sasuke's lip curled up in distaste when he realized that Naruto had failed to take off his shoes, AND that it had OBVIOUSLY slipped the blonde's mind to take off his dirty jumpsuit top before entering his room.
Naruto blinked and glanced down at the ring to see dark red.
He blinked again, but then remembered. Grinning sheepishly, he took off his shoes and overcoat.
"Haha… sorry about that, Sasuke. I forgot."
Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes disbelievingly, turning back to his book from where he sat on his bed.
He felt the bed shake as Naruto climbed in by his side, the blonde wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him into a strong chest.
The Uchiha snorted again – this time disapproving Naruto's advances when he was trying to read.
Unmindful of the other's dislike, the blonde gently kissed the back of Sasuke's neck, his grip on the other's waist tightening slightly.
The Uchiha – realizing that resisting such a stubborn blonde was a waste of time – put down his book and leaned back into the embrace, choosing to ignore the grin of victory as Naruto's mouth pressed into his throat.
Sasuke's eyes closed half-way as he allowed himself to drift off, thinking about nothing except those lips on his skin.
"Mmm… dobe…" he breathed softly. Naruto smiled against his shoulder, and glanced down at the ring.
His eyes grew wide, but not in shock. A maniacal grin spread across his face.
"Sasuke."
The Uchiha blinked his self out of his dream-like trance and looked over his shoulder to see Naruto grinning at his hand.
Taking Sasuke's hand in his own, he raised it so that the ring was eyelevel with both of them.
"Do you know what this color means?"
The entirety of the ring was pink.
Sasuke's eyes grew wide in shock as Naruto's grin widened.
"It means you're feeling LOVEABLE!!"
A fist greeted his face once more.
"NARUTO!!"
The blonde had to laugh. The Uchiha had such crazy mood swings.
End Dedication One Shot – Mood Swings
There you go! –audience cheers. DDB bows once more-
Thank you – oh, you all are so wonderful! –wipes tear from eye-
Well, I got a mood ring on one of our 21-day trips over the summer, and along with the mood ring, I got a sheet with what the colors represented. I changed the colors around a bit to suit my needs, but it's still pretty much the same.
I just think stoic Sasuke wearing a mood ring that gave his every little emotion away is just plain funny. Kudos for Naruto for figuring out how to reach our little Ice Princess. :D
But, apart from that, I seem to like two-worded titles, huh? So strange...
Alchemist of the Flame, I hope you enjoyed it!
Everyone else, same to you!
Review?
Ja ne!
DDB