his.latest.escapade.

chapter one

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Standard Disclaimer Applied

note: this is the night that was only mentioned in my other story, Find the Words. If this doesn't make sense, then just go read that first -- it's only five chapters. this is rated T for a reason, so please don't read if you are not a teen. sexual content is to come.

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well, i never thought i'd be here, but it looks like i am

I'm not sure how we met – I can't even remember, sadly enough – but I do know that I was about five years old, more than likely a lonely kindergartener. I hadn't met Ino until first grade, when we instantly became best friends and she helped me 'break out of my shell'. Naruto, however, I'm a little bit more… fuzzy about.

I know that we grew close in third grade, and stayed that way up until now. Now, that is, being senior year, almost thirteen years later. I'd been through a lot, he'd been through a lot, we'd been through a lot. But not once, in all of those years, had I found myself in a situation like this.

--

"No! Naruto, get a glass of water, for heaven sake. No more beer!" I yelled, trading the leisurely pace I once had, for a hopping-down-the-steps run.

"Water? We're at a party, Sakura," he replied, shrugging me off.

"No," I clarified. "We're at Ino's house. The party is over, and you're the only one left."

"Uh, you're here," he felt inclined to point out.

"Well, yes, but I don't count."

"Why not?" He started to lift the cup to his mouth, so I brought my hand up and smacked his wrist. Not surprisingly, he jolted back, and even dropped the beer. Good.

"Aw, damn," he mumbled, and disgracefully leaned over to try and grab it.

"Leave it. Ino can clean it in the morning. Come on; we need to get you home."

I had taken care of Ino – whatever she was doing with Kiba had been interrupted when he came back down stairs and left, a disgusted look on his face. I had gone to check on Ino, fearing the worst, to find vomit all over her dress. Her own vomit … and sadly, I couldn't feel bad for Kiba. I cleaned her up, and put her into bed. She was out cold. Naruto, though? He didn't look like he was about to pass out any time soon.

"Home? Yeah, sure. Think Jiraiya will be cool with that?"

My eyes widened, remembering the last time Jiraiya found about Naruto's partying habits; he had been outraged, and grounded Naruto for two months, lecturing him about alcohol usage and parties. Which, is kind of hypocritical, once you think about what he does on his Friday nights.

Naruto grinned when he saw the look of defeat in my eyes. I sighed, but quickly searched in my head for anything I could do right now. Uhm.

"Alright, I have an idea," I said slowly.

Rubbing his forehead, probably because he couldn't see straight, he made a noise of acknowledgement to my words.

"We'll go back to my house, but you have to promise me something," I said sternly.

He looked up – "What …?"

"You have to be quiet."

"Oh? That's easy!"

"Yeah, well, it better be. Otherwise, we're both dead."

--

Well, even if the development of our friendship was unclear to me, the rest wasn't. It was easy to remember 5th grade graduation – we had celebrated by going to the cinema, and sneaking into a PG-13 movie. In seventh grade, we were paired up for the History Project, which he actually helped out a little in. The presentation went horrible though, and we only managed to get a B. At the end of eighth grade, we went to Six Flags, and when I got into a fight with Ino he opted to hang out with me instead of Kiba and Chouji. In ninth grade, I had made him laugh harder then he'd ever had before (his words, not mine) by telling him about my first kiss – with Sai, who yes, was my first boyfriend. Gag.

Tenth grade was different, because we both changed a lot. His interest in girls had become a defining characteristic, and studying became one of my pastimes. All though we both started growing, almost in opposite directions, we also grew together. We were closest that year then all the others put together.

Eleventh grade changed everything. Sasuke was a new student, which basically meant even if he wasn't as attractive as he is, every single girl would have fallen for him anyway. I hated myself for it, but I started crushing on him almost immediately. Being friends with Naruto, who quickly became friends with him, gave me an advantage no one else had… a long talk on Christmas Eve proved that it didn't matter, anyway. Of course, the tears I shed that night were nothing compared to what came later.

--

"Your dad leaves the side door open?"

"Yeah, as a just-in-case kind of thing," I whispered back.

I could understand why Naruto was incredulous about it all. He knew the layout of my house well – this door in the garage being open meant that as soon as we walked inside, we'd be greeted by stairs that led to my room. My dad's room was on the other side of the house, which made sneaking out (or in this case though, sneaking in) incredibly easy, as well as effortless.

"We're totally in the clear, then."

Stepping into the garage, I shot him a look – a wasted one, as he was facing the other way to close the door.

"No, we're not. You know how easy it would be for him to wake up, catch us, and ground me for… forever?"

"That's what makes it exciting," he replied. I sighed, knowing behind me that he was grinning.

Thankfully though, he was silent – except for a light humming he was doing – as we went up the stairs. He didn't speak until we were in my room, and the door was closed.

"Woah, it's already four o'clock," he mused.

"Shit!" I hissed, looking at the alarm clock by my bed side. 3:49 AM.

"What?" he asked, sounding concerned, but also far off.

"My dad leaves at five for a flight to Chicago. He'll be getting up any moment, and I'm not supposed to be here. He thinks I spent the night at Tenten's." And Tenten's parents think she's here.

"Well, if we're up here, then he won't see us and it won't matter." Naruto shrugged it off, ruffling his hair as he started walking around the room.

"No, it's not that simple. Every time he goes on a trip, he always comes and leaves a post-it note for me to find. We can't just hide." I wasn't sure if he was listening, so I said it as if I was talking to myself.

"Well, I'll go in the closet or something, and you tell him a lie. He'll believe it, you know that," Naruto offered, plopping down onto my bed. And, "Do you want to play a board game or something? I'm bored as balls."

Right. Leave it Naruto to not get at all stressed out while in this …predicament.

"Be right back, don't make a single noise," I told him, using an austere tone that I didn't know I had.

He didn't say anything, but that didn't matter. I grabbed a pair of pajamas – white tank top, green flannel pants. Then I rushed into the bathroom down the hallway, and worked as swiftly as I could. Get changed, try to hide curly hair, wash make-up off, Listerine the alcohol out of my mouth…

Collecting my clothes and shoes from the party, I crept back towards my room. Down below, I could hear the coffee machine going, and I mentally released a string of curse words. I can't believe this is happening!

"Your dad's awake, but I'm pretty sure he's too zonked out to hear much," Naruto said the moment I closed the door behind me.

"Yeah, because he just woke up. In ten minutes he'll be able to hear everything going on in the house," I said.

Then another noise came, almost at the exact second I had finished my statement. We both looked down at the carpet, as if the X-ray vision we didn't have would allow us to see what was going on below. Instead, we could only listen. It was music, and before I could realize what song it was, Naruto started cracking up.

Instinctively, I stepped forward and clamped my hand over his mouth, shooting him the worst glare I could come up with. He was still laughing though, so I used my other hand to land a hard shove on his arm.

It's Close To Midnight And Something Evil's Lurking In The Dark

He stopped laughing to mutter an 'Ow', but it was probably more surprise then pain.

Under The Moonlight You See A Sight That Almost Stops Your Heart

Slowly, I moved my hand away from his mouth, watching him carefully to make sure he wouldn't start laughing again.

You Try To Scream But Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It

Wait. I looked back down to the floor, wondering if I just heard what I thought I heard.

You Start To Freeze As Horror Looks You Right Between The Eyes – You're Paralyzed

"Oh my god," I gasped. When I looked back up to Naruto, I couldn't even imagine the priceless shock that was probably now my facial expression.

'Cause this is thriller, Thriller night
And no one's gonna save you
From the beast about to strike!

"Your dad listens to Michael Jackson when he thinks he's home alone," Naruto roared.

"SHHH!" My hand went flying back up to his mouth, and I whipped my head around to face the door, as if someone would come barging in at that very second.

I knew my heart was beating wildly; I could feel it pounding, the thought of getting caught overriding its system. But when two minutes passed, and there was not a sound (besides MJ's voice and the flashy music) I slowly turned back around, trying to calm myself down.

Naruto reached his own hand up to take mine away from his face, and laughed quietly.

"That just made my week," he whispered loudly.

I didn't know what to say – I didn't even know my dad owned this CD, let alone liked it. That is beyond creepy… Apparently the look on my face was amusing, because Naruto was smiling at me with such a look as to suggest so.

"Come on, you have to hide." I snapped out of it, and brought the commanding tone back into my voice.

"Where?" he asked, opting to comply – thank goodness.

"Uh, the closet. It's big enough for you sit, comfortably."

"Yeah, I'll take a beanie bag. Think anyone's up to text?" he asked, already going to grab a green bag.

"No, probably not, Naruto."

He shrugged, and with the beanie hugged to his chest, he went into the closet. I watched him put it down, and then sit on it, a content smile on his face. Jeez, I wish I could have his composure.

"Thank you," I whispered, and shut the door, climbing into my bed. I'd have to wait until my dad came in, and then pretend to wake up, with a believable lie ready for recitation. I closed my eyes, and thought for a reason for why I would be home.

--

On March 16th of 2007, my mom and I were in a car accident. We had been driving to the supermarket on an average Sunday, when some type of spasm hit her, and she fainted. I distinctively remember taking the wheel from the passenger seat, screaming for her to wake up, as I tried to steer off the road. We hit a tree, the air bags pushed out, and next thing I knew we were in the hospital.

That was when Dad told me what the doctors found. He explained it to me, but I hadn't listened. I heard cancer. And I heard terminal. I didn't need to hear anymore. Knowing she was going to die didn't make it any easier. I finished the school year at home, staying with my mom, knowing we only had a few months left. October 15th was the day it happened. She had convinced me to start attending school again, saying I needed the normality of it all, and that I still needed to have fun – and a life. So, I had been at school when it happened. I knew why they were calling me out the second the principle walked into the room. I had broken down, right then and there.

--

Suddenly the lights in my room turned on, and while feigning sleep, I groaned slightly and shifted in bed. A few seconds later, a large hand was rested on my shoulder, and I groggily opened my eyes.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Dad asked, looking worried – and embarrassed, probably because of his music blasting downstairs.

"Hm?" I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the light.

"I thought you were at your friend Tenten's," he said.

"Oh. Yeah. I didn't feel good, so I came home," I answered slowly.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, it was a migraine… sleep makes it go away."

"I'm sorry, if I knew you were home, I wouldn't of…Uh, well I have to leave now, I'll call you when I'm in Chicago," he said, obliviously brushing a curl away from my forehead.

"Okay," I mumbled, closing my eyes tiredly – I actually was tired, so it wasn't hard to do.

"Love you, sweetie."
"Love you too, Dad."

Even though my eyes were closed, I knew the lights were turned off. I waited patiently, until I heard the garage door open, and then close again. Actually struggling, I opened my eyelids, at the same time Naruto stepped out of the closet.

"What were you even worrying about?" he asked rhetorically, and without giving me a second to shield myself, he leaped onto the bed, crashing onto me.

"Gah! Naruto, get off of me!"
"Why are you still whispering? You can be as loud as you want now – scream, laugh, whatever," he exclaimed, scooting off of me and onto the other side.

"There's nothing to scream or laugh about."

The second I said it, I wished I hadn't. A wide – evil – smile spread across his lips. Quickly, I threw the covers off of me, planning on hopping off the bed. Before I got the chance to escape though, his arms looped around me, and the tickling onslaught began.

"Ah!" Of course, I was laughing inexorably and wildly, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Nothing to laugh or scream about, eh?" he teased.

"Naruto! Stop!" I yelled amidst uncontrollable laughter.

"Why should I?" he laughed, and to that I had no answer. Or at least one that would get him to stop.

"Eep! You drunken fool," I managed to gasp, breathlessly.

"Drunk? I'm not drunk," he defended, letting up a little bit.

"Yes you are!"

"No, not really. The buzz is fading off, now all I need is a good cup of hot chocolate."

Apparently the idea of it was enough to distract him, and I managed to squirm away – which, actually, ended up with me falling onto the floor. I sighed with aggravation, listening to him chuckle loudly, as I rolled onto my back, arms above my head as I worked on catching my breath. Meanwhile, he popped his head over the edge of my bed and stared down at me with his signature smile in place.

"Y'know, you looked great earlier. But you look so cute like this," he said - out of nowhere.

"Uh, thanks," I mumbled.

Was he joking? He didn't sound like he was, but I wasn't used to a … compliment like that, coming from him.

"No problem. So, do you have hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, the microwaveable kind," I answered after a few seconds, picturing the box in the kitchen cabinet.

"There's another kind?"

"Yeah, the one where you heat the water up on the stove," I laughed.

"That's inefficient. It's much faster to just stick a mug stick into a microwave," he declared (as if he were the first person to figure it out) and stepped off of the bed, watching so he didn't step on me. "Planning on staying there all night?" he asked, a patronizing tone on his voice and a twinkle in his eye, as he looked down at me with an outstretched hand.

"No," I finally said, taking it. He easily lifted me up, and after releasing our hands, I took the loose ponytail out of my hair and redid it tighter, pinning back my bangs with a bobby pin. I briefly wondered if my forehead looked outrageously hideous, but immediately told myself that I shouldn't care. I was with Naruto, of all people. Just because he completely out of the blue complimented me – so cute like this – didn't mean I had to start caring about what I looked like at five in the morning.

"To the kitchen?" he proposed.

"To the kitchen."

--

The past few months were rough. I can't even remember the rest of October, or November … or December. It was January when my dad took me to a therapist, the same one I go to these days, and the same one he sees. As February and March passed by, I began to find comfort with friends. Well, Naruto, Sasuke, and Ino at least. April was easier – I still always think about her, but it was easier to hang out, to pay attention in class, to laugh like normal. Almost normal.

It's May now, and apparently I'm at an "important stage of moving on". I can think about her, and all of our memories, without lashing out or crying. The shrink says it's a good thing, and that I shouldn't feel guilty for it - she'd want me to be happy. Well, she'd want to be alive too, but that isn't going to happen.

--

"Betty blamed Bob for beating Billy the beagle."

"Cassie creatively constructed courage in Coward."

"In coward?"

"Yes, Coward. Coward the lion."

" No, he was the cowardly lion."

"Oh." I paused, trying to remember the movie more clearly – I couldn't, it must be years since I last saw it. Naruto laughed, and with one look I could tell it was laughter at me.

"Oh, shut up. I liked the Tin Man much better, I never paid attention to the Lion," I tried defending myself.

He found that more amusing, but I chose to ignore it this time, taking a bite of my cream cheese sandwich.

"Danny danced daringly with Dracula's dearest date," he said, resuming the game. It was one we had created when we were much younger, playing it whenever we were bored and had nothing else to do. Like now.

"Ellie's elephant eats eggs and elk ears."

"Found that fantastically freaky and f'morbid."

"Fmorbid?" I repeated skeptically.

"F'morbid. Fucking morbid, combined. Come on Sakura, get with it," he said nonchalantly, gulping down the rest of his hot chocolate.

"That so doesn't count," I said.

"And in Coward did?" he countered.

I rolled my eyes.

"More?" he asked, lifting his mug up.

"Sure."

We were sitting on the kitchen floor, for some reason, but I lifted myself up and took his purple mug. "Didn't you burn your tongue? You drank this awfully fast."

"You don't have to worry about my tongue."

Here's another 'for some reason' – I actually blushed. Glad that I was turned away from him, facing the microwave and the cocoa packets, I tried forcing the pink tint back down. What the hell was going on?

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled. And, "Gina the Great galloped to Gavin."

"That was pathetic. Uhm, Harry hated Hannah and her hairy hats."

"So was that." I put the mug into the microwave, and hit the one minute auto button.

"What's wrong with hairy hats?"

"Nothing is wrong with them, they just don't exist."

"Coward doesn't either."

"Point taken," I replied reluctantly. "Inga interned in Illinois at Intel Industries."

The microwave was about to beep, so I opened it up and took the mug out. Grabbing a spoon that I used the first time, I stirred the hot chocolate around.

"Don't even think about skipping the marshmallows," he said.

"I would never." I smiled, and grabbed the bag. They were small, but chocolate flavored. I dumped a whole bunch into his cup, and then returned to the floor with it. Greedily, he snatched it out of my hands.

"Jack jumped over the candlestick," he said after a small sip.

"Well, that certainly does not count."

"I know," he smiled. "But, I'm bored already."

"Aren't you tired? I feel like I'm about to pass out," I admitted.

"Nah, I'm just sobering up! I've got an hour or so left in me."

"It'll be daylight then," I figured.

"So we can watch the sunrise," he said optimistically.

"Hah, yeah, we can."

"You could go to bed now, you don't have to wait up with me," he said – using a more reserved tone that I'm pretty sure I've never heard before.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, I'll just go on your laptop."

I looked down at my hardly touched drink, and remainder of sandwich that I didn't really feel hungry for. I'd been awake for about twenty-three hours, and let's face it – I was a spoiled princess when it came to my sleeping schedule. Tonight had totally thrown it out the window, and the effects of it were showing now. I doubt I'd be able to keep my eyes open for that sunrise anyway.

"I think I might turn in, then."

--

Memories of Christmas were usually what flooded into my mind. It didn't surprise me really, because that had always been my favorite holiday, and mom always did it up real nice. Decorations, food, lights, etc. We always went the whole nine yards, making each year more special then the last.

When it wasn't holiday memories though, it was usually random conversations we had had together, ones that never would have meant anything before. Tonight, the one that was in the back of my mind, was sometime during ninth grade, when I had gotten home from school to find her sitting on the couch, watching 40 Year Old Virgin, instead of at work. When I asked her why she was home, she shrugged and said "I decided I didn't want to work, so I told them I didn't feel good". Only someone as sweet as my mom could ever pull that off.

I sat down next to her, and since we both had seen the movie before, she muted it. We talked for a little while, me basically telling her about my day. "Anything juicy you've been holding back?" she asked me. For a second, I had been worried that I had done something that she knew about that even I had forgotten. But, I had realized she was just teasing, and laughed. "Like what? Nothing 'juicy' ever happens to me," I told her. She laughed too. "Well, that's why there's Naruto. He's always getting himself into trouble. I enjoy hearing about his little escapades." Escapades. That's what she had called them. Well mom, I wonder what you would have said about this one.

--

"What's the password?" Naruto asked, looking down at my little laptop from over my shoulder.

"Telling you kind of defeats the purpose of having one," I reminded him.

"Yeah, but it's just me."

I typed the password in, knowing that he'd be watching what keys I hit.

"Mom31607," he whispered.

"Yeah. I don't want to ever let myself forget her," I said quietly.

"Sakura, you're not going to."

"You forget about yours," I snapped, surprising even myself. It was totally uncalled for, but it kind of just slipped out of my mouth. "Ah, jeez, Naruto I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" I trailed off, turning to face him, finding his expression to be completely unreadable.

"I'm sorry," I whispered again.

"No, don't worry about. You're right. But, I didn't know mine. They ditched me when I was a baby, and all I know are there names. It's easier for me to forget they existed. But you're mom actually cared for you, actually loved you… it's different," he finally said, shrugging it off.

"Yeah," I mumbled. I still felt horrible for bringing it up. "Well, now you know how to get into all my stuff."

He laughed good-heartedly, but I couldn't really bring a smile to my face. He saw that, and slowly let the laugh fade away. Instantly I regretted it.

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?" I muttered back.

He looked serious, which is worse than when he looks eager – an eager smile is when you know he's planning on a terrible trouble you won't be able to get out of. I stared at him, trying to figure this one out, but for once in all these years I was completely clueless as to what was going on.

"It gets easier."

I blinked, and before I could say something back – But easier isn't fair to her – he cut me off.

"And if she's up there watching, do you really think she wants you beating yourself up about it?"

Dumbfounded. Speechless. Uncertain.

"No." I don't know how long it took me for to say it out loud, but the second I did, he gave a reassuring smile.

"Then don't."

Then something that I never, ever, ever – ever – thought would happen, did. His hand reached up to cup my cheek, and not a second later, his lips gently landed on my own, with one soft kiss. As quickly as it happened, it un-happened. His hand was off of me, as were his lips, and we both shared at each – stunned. He was stunned!? He just kissed me!?

Remember the thing I just mentioned, the one where I said something happened that I thought would never, ever happen? Well, it wasn't that he had kissed me. It was that a second later, I leaned closer to him, wanting him to do it again.

and now that i am here, i just can't seem to let you go

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