A/N: I’m not even going to go into how sorry I am that this took so freaking long to update. The important thing is that I’ve got this up and it is no longer haunting me in my sleep that I need to update this so badly. I’m so happy that I finally have conquered my writer’s block for this story. Seeing that it’s gone up in popularity even more recently, it gave me newfound exuberance to update this thing. So here it is, the long-awaited chapter 9 of ‘Not Your Everyday Vacation’!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Don’t own. Can’t own. Want to own. Damn.

Chapter 9: Sakura, Pietà! Pietà!

Sakura couldn’t help but sigh contently at her comfort. There was warmth all around her, and the scent was so intoxicating that she could barely believe such a smell existed. She never wanted to move. Ever.

The only thing that could’ve managed to stir her from this peaceful slumber was the cool sensation that was pressed against the hollow of her neck. It was definitely a contrast to the heat that encircled her, but it was a welcomed change. She swooned slightly, turning into the coolness more.

Her eyelids fluttered lightly before taking in the dull light of the room. In the dim lighting she made out a figure atop of her. The figure was warm and soft, despite its stiffness. She raised a lazy hand to twirl the raven locks that brushed the side of her cheek. She had finally discovered that, that delightfully cool sensation upon her neck was his lips.

With Ino, Kakashi and Naruto…

Ino couldn’t help but want to vomit at the atrocious smell that was wafting into her nostrils. The smell was slithering around her head like a boa constrictor, slowly squeezing the life out of her. She squeezed her eyelids even tighter, for the smell was practically burning them. She finally couldn’t take it anymore.

Jolting upright, she whipped her head around to see where the horrific stench was coming from. And low and behold, there, next to where her head had been not a moment ago, were Naruto’s bare, crusty feet.

Slapping a hand over her mouth, Ino bolted down the hall and through a door that she prayed led to the bathroom.

With Sasuke and Sakura…

Sasuke weakly opened his eyes, trying to figure out just where he was. Immediately he sensed the feeling of something stroking his scalp. Then, memories of the day before flooded into his mind.

Fighting with Sakura.

Drinking the tomato juice.

Talking to Sakura.

Playing strip poker with Sakura.

Making out with Sakura.

Almost confessing to Sakura.

First came mortification. Then came the rage at himself for almost letting himself actually do something like that. Then came the mortification again, and it brought its friends embarrassment and humiliation.

This was not a good situation…

…But then again, that feeling on his head did feel pretty nice.

Resisting the urge to run for the high hills, Sasuke remained stationary, allowing Sakura to continue playing with his black tresses. To be honest, he kind of enjoyed it. Having her so close, her scent swirling around him, her warmth radiating from under him, her sweet breath gently blowing against his head where her delicate fingers were caressing his scalp…but only kind of.

‘”Kind of” my perfectly chiseled ass.’

‘If you ruin this moment for me, I swear on all that’s good in this world that I’ll kill you.’

Inner Sasuke snorted. ‘Well in that case I could ruin it and still live a good decade or two.’

‘You bastard.’

‘Just saying. Anyway, I’m not gonna ruin it. Unlike you, I’m actually willing to admit that I enjoy this.’

Sasuke remained silent. The voice faded into a dull hum. Wait a minute. That hum wasn’t his voice. It was Sakura’s. He lay there with his eyes closed, listening to her quietly hum. He recognized the tune as “O Mio Babbino Caro”.

He had heard of the song from his mother who would sing it often. She had seen it from a traveling theatre company when they had done a performance of an opera called “Gianni Shicchi”. The melody of the song was slow and gentle, pleading. The lyrics were of a girl pleading for her father to spare her and her love from the angry tensions between him and her future in-laws, for in his anger he wanted to separate her from her love.

“Where did you learn that song?” Sasuke inquired. Sakura jumped a bit at the sudden sound of his voice.

“Sasuke-kun! I thought you were asleep!” She squeaked, her pale face glowing with a blush. He ignored her statement and asked her again. “Where did you learn that song?”

Sakura paused, thinking. “You know what,” She said after a while, “I don’t really know. The first time I ever heard it, I thought that I was dreaming. I was walking in a part of town that I had never been before, and there I saw a huge gate that was just lying there, open. So, I decided to go explore.

It seemed all quiet and peaceful, as if nobody were even there. Then I heard somebody singing. I followed the sound to a house where I saw a tall, beautiful woman singing it out on the porch to a small boy who looked like her. It was the first and only time I had ever heard the song and I never got to learn the lyrics because I think it was in another language. So now I can only remember the melody.”

“Italian.”

“What?”

“It was in Italian. The song,” Sasuke said. Sakura gave him a puzzled look.

“How do you know that?” She asked him. He looked up at her from the corner of his eye, his position on top of her not changing.

“Because the one you heard singing it was my mother. The little boy you said you saw was me.” Sakura looked at him with a blank expression, almost not comprehending what Sasuke had just shared with her. She opened her mouth slightly and closed it again, probably for she had decided that her words may not have been the right reaction. Finally, she had decided on something to say.

“Sasuke-kun,” She asked of him, “What are the lyrics?”

With Ino, Kakashi and Naruto…

“This is getting boring,” Naruto sighed. “All they’re doing is talking.” Ino shot him a look, but then immediately had to put her face back to the bucket she had sitting on her lap. A loud, spluttering, gurgling noise ricocheted from the pail, thoroughly grossing out both Kakashi and Naruto.

Once able to contain her vomit, Ino looked up at him, pale and miserable. “Relationships aren’t just about physical intimacy.” Ino hissed. Naruto shrugged.

“Well it certainly doesn’t hurt.”

“Shut it.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a filthy pig who needs to learn to clean his feet.”

“You mean these feet?”

“AUGH! NO! NOT AGAIN!”

Kakashi, too tired and disgusted to deal with the two bickering chunin, stood up from the recliner and wandered into the kitchen to go eat something of a breakfast.

With Sasuke and Sakura…

“So that’s the story of the song.” Sakura said as she sipped her hot chocolate. Sasuke nodded as he stared intently into his cup of black coffee. Sakura had huddled on the couch under a blanket while Sasuke had taken residence in the chair across from her.

“Yeah. The melody was actually my mother’s favorite part of the song, though. Not the lyrics.”

“I still want to learn them.” Sakura stated flatly, taking another sip of her drink. Sasuke paused for a moment before saying something.

“O mio babbino caro,” He stated. Sakura looked up.

“What?”

“O mio babbino caro,” He said again. “Just repeat it.”

“O mio babbino caro,” She said, trying to get her tongue to form the unfamiliar words.

“Mi piace è bello, bello”

“Mi piace è bero, bero”

“No. It’s ‘bello‘, not ‘bero’.” Sasuke corrected. Sakura stared at him.

“What’s the difference?” She asked. “The double L’s make just an ‘L’ sound, not an ‘R’ sound.” He said. “Bello. Not ’bero’. Hear the difference?” She nodded. “I’ve never gotten the hang of foreign languages,” Sakura grinned.

With Ino, Kakashi and Naruto…

“Do you two want anything to eat? I’m making breakfast.”

Ino and Naruto stared into the kitchen doorway, horrified. “What do you mean? You’re cooking breakfast?!” Ino asked, shocked.

“Yeah, why not?” Kakashi responded. Hearing their stomachs grumble, Ino and Naruto decided that atrocious food was better than no food at all.

“Fine.”

Fifteen minutes later…

“I always thought that you’d be as bad a cook as Sakura!” Naruto exclaimed, shoveling pancakes into his mouth as fast as his hands would allow.

“Nobody is as bad a cook as Sakura.”

“True. But still, this doesn’t make it any less of a shock.”

Ino looked over at Naruto, who was now a sticky and sugary mess from all of the maple syrup and shook her head. She then took another satisfied bite of her pancakes. “I’ll give it to the moron. This is a shocker. How did you become such a good cook?”

Kakashi grinned through his mask, flipping a new batch out of the pan. “I live alone. It’s either learn to cook or be like Naruto and eat a strict diet of instant ramen. For my own health and sanity, I chose the former.”

“Good choice,” Ino praised.

“Speaking of making good choices, I should probably go and replace all of the spiked drinks before those two become alcoholics. Excuse me,” And with a poof, he vanished.

With Sasuke and Sakura…

“Okay, I think I got it!” Sakura said enthusiastically. Sasuke nodded.

“Think you can sing it now?” He inquired. “Yeah!” He smirked. “Okay, give it a shot.” Taking a deep breath, Sakura gently let the words flow from her mouth.

“O mio babbino caro,

mi piace è bello, bello

vo'andare in Porta Rossa

a comperar l'anello!

Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!

e se l'amassi invano,

andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,

ma per buttarmi in Arno!

Mi struggo e mi tormento!

O Dio, vorrei morir!

Babbo, pietà, pietà!

Babbo, pietà, pietà!”

Sasuke smiled gently. “Very good.” He said. “Want me to tell you what it means?”

“Would you?!” Sakura exclaimed excitedly. Sasuke nodded.

“The translation of the lyrics means this:

O my dear papa

I like him, he is handsome, handsome

I want to go to Porta Rossa

to buy the ring!

Yes, yes, I want to go there!

And if my love were in vain,

I would go to the Ponte Vecchio

and throw myself in the Arno!

I am aching, I am tortured!

Oh God, I'd like to die!

Father, have pity, have pity!

Father, have pity, have pity!”

“That’s beautiful,” Sakura said. She thought of the melody for a moment. Now knowing the lyrics and what they meant, she could immediately distinguish the feel of the melody. She had once thought that it was a calm, peaceful melody. Maybe even a lullaby. But hearing the story of the girl’s desperation, she could now distinctly hear the longing, the fear, the heartbreaking desperation for understanding. “How on Earth did your mother come across a song in Italian, though?”

Sasuke smiled; nostalgia flooded his pale features. “My mother was a very smart woman. She was very cultured and enjoyed the theatre. Gianni Schicchi just so happened to be her favorite. That song was her absolute favorite aria from it. Kami, I think she must’ve seen that play at least a dozen times,” He mused.

“Is it possible to still see it?”

Sasuke raised his head and looked at her, his expression filled with sincere curiosity. “You mean you’re actually interested in it?” Sakura nodded her head, reminding Sasuke of a bobble head doll.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve loved that song for years without any information on it at all and now that I know about it, why wouldn’t I be interested in the story behind it?”

Sasuke let her words sink in, leaving a distinct warm feeling in the center of his chest. He fought the urge to smile. “I think that I could arrange something,”

With Ino and Naruto…

“So wait, where did he go again?” Naruto asked, staring off at the remains of smoke that was currently rolling lazily across the kitchen linoleum. Ino stood there, trying to grasp it herself. After a moment, a large grin broke across her face and she bolted into the living room, calling for Naruto to follow over her shoulder.

Naruto followed her into the living room, jumping onto the recliner. “What’s got you so excited?” he asked. Ino was giggling uncontrollably as she switched the TV back on. The only coherent sentence that Naruto could make out was “We’re about to see the beat down of a century.”

With Sasuke and Sakura…

“Did you hear that?”

Sasuke put down his book and listened. He and Sakura had just a few minutes ago relocated downstairs. Sure enough, the dull thud of footsteps reverberated upstairs. Without so much as a second thought, Sasuke darted up the stairs, Sakura barely a step behind.

He thrust the door open, Sakura flinging kunai at the intruder, pinning the figure to the wall. “You’re gonna get it now,” She hissed. Sasuke lowered his defense slightly, standing upright from his fighting stance.

“You should know better than anyone not to go into a dangerous situation without any proper equipment, Kakashi.” He cringed slightly. “And especially not in your underwear.”

Kakashi blushed, trying to force the sheer panic that was creeping up his spine down as he was pinned to the wall, donned in nothing but a dark grey wife beater and a pair of heart-decorated boxers. He really hadn’t thought this one through.

“Ew! Like I really needed to see that!” Sakura groaned, shielding her eyes. Kakashi scoffed.

“Like you can say that it’s not a nice sight.” He defended. “I’ll have you know that back when I was your age, I had girls falling left and right to get a look at my-”

“Alright, enough!” Sasuke snapped, hands over his ears. “If you finish that sentence, I swear that you won’t live long enough to even regret it.” Kakashi shut his mouth, pouting.

“Honestly now, Sasuke. Why do you have to be so mean to your sensei? I mean, I even taught you the Chidori! I forgave you when you came back to Konoha, and I’ve even been giving you pointers on Karma Sut-”

“And that’s precisely why I’m so mean to you, you filthy old man!” He hissed. “For crap like this! How long were you planning on keeping us in here?” Kakashi was silent in thought.

“You know I never really thought about it. I mean we‘d have to let you out sometime. After all, I really don‘t want to be bothered with the ANBU for two missing nin reports. I was kinda hoping to drag this out to at least a few days after the break.” He answered honestly. Sakura roared.

“At least? You mean you would honestly keep us in here for longer?!I’LL KILL YOU, KAKASHI!” She bellowed, leaping at his throat, her hands like claws. Sasuke grabbed her around the waist with his arm in one swift motion, leaving her dangling. “Let me at him, Sasuke! I’ll claw his eyes out!” She spat. Kakashi’s eye bugged out in fear, panic eminent on his features.

“Mercy, mercy!” Kakashi begged.

“Give me one good reason to not let go of Sakura right now and let her tear you limb from limb.” demanded Sasuke.

“When you guys get out of here, I promise that I’ll buy you two dinner for a whole week.”

Sasuke let his grip loosen a bit. Sakura could now lash out one of her arms at him. Kakashi cried out in horror. “Please! No! You haven’t been here to see just how devastating Sakura can be when she’s this angry! It’d be a miracle if I survived it!”

Sasuke smirked. “That kind of makes the idea of letting her go all the more appealing.” Sakura kept struggling as he let his grip loosen more. Kakashi was now in a full fledge panic mode.

“Okay, okay, okay! I can help get you guys out of here. Just don’t let her near me!” Kakashi begged. Sasuke looked down at Sakura, who had for the moment ceased her struggling to consider. She gave one swift nod, agreeing to his offer.

“One condition,” Sakura said, her voice as hard as stone. “If you ditch us, then when we do get out of here, I get five minutes to do whatever I want to you. Got it?”

Kakashi nodded. “Just so long as it isn’t permanent or needs a long-term recovery.”

“Fair enough,” Sakura shrugged. Finally she turned up to Sasuke. “Alright, Sasuke-kun. I can control myself now.” Sasuke gave her a skeptical look, but released his hold on her nonetheless.

Dusting herself off, she went and pried the Kunai out of Kakashi’s clothing, leaving the ones that surrounded his silhouette in the wall. Once free, Kakashi turned to look at just how close to death he had come. He fought the urge to wet himself.

With Ino and Naruto…

A loud knock sounded from the front door. Ino got up, still laughing, and answered it.

“Hel-ahahaha-lo?” she laughed, trying to compose herself.

“It figures that you would have something to do with something that’s so troublesome for me.”

Ino stopped laughing and swatted the boy upside his pineapple-looking head. “Shut up, Shikamaru.” She snapped. “Now why are you here?”

Shikamaru sighed; he hated explaining things. It required a certain amount of effort on his part. “Tsunade-sama got a load of complaints from surrounding neighbors of this area that this apartment had an obscene noise level coming from it.” He took a glance inside, seeing Naruto in hysterics laughing on the ground. He raised an eyebrow.

“It figures that the two loudest ones in Konoha would be behind this.” Shikamaru droned. “Pray tell, Ino. What are you and Naruto up to in there?” Ino’s face paled in disgust. Slapping him upside the head again, she roared.

“HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY ASSUME SOMETHING THAT DISGUSTING ABOUT ME?! WITH NARUTO, NONETHELESS!” She bellowed.

“Be quiet, you troublesome woman. That’s the whole reason I’m here!” Shikamaru winced, plugging his ears. Ino shot a glare at him.

“Fine. Do you really want to know what’s going on?” Ino asked him. Shikamaru paused.

“You know, I really think that I’m going to regret this, but okay. I’ll see what’s going on.” Ino smiled and dragged him inside, slamming the door shut.

With Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi…

“You’d better remember where you put that spare key, Kakashi or I’ll personally use one of your ribs to pick the lock.” Sakura growled. Kakashi sat on the couch, trying to remember where he put the spare key.

“I’m trying! I’m trying!” He snapped. Suddenly, an awkward, disgusting gargling sound broke the silence. Kakashi’s face turned green. “You know what, I think that I could think a bit better in the bathroom.” Without even waiting for his two former pupils to say anything, Kakashi bolted into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Sakura’s face turned a similar shade of green as she listened to her former sensei groaning and gurgling inside the bathroom. “Oh, gross!”

Forty-five minutes later…

“He’s still not out.” Sasuke said. “I bet you he ditched us.” Sakura shook her head, a laundry clip on the bridge of her nose.

“Why would you say that? We could hear him groaning in there for almost an hour now! And that smell… how can you even stand that?!” She gagged. Sasuke shrugged.

“Are you forgetting how much time I spent in Orochimaru’s lair? That place didn’t exactly smell like potpourri.” Sakura shuddered.

“Okay, ew.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Oh, the inhumanity!”

“Didn’t he groan that about fifteen minutes ago?” Sasuke said. Sakura waited.

“You know what? I think he did. And after that he said “Just end it now!””

“Just end it now!”

Sasuke and Sakura turned to each other and bolted to the door. Sasuke kicked it in. Only to find a tape recorder sitting on the toilet seat. Sakura picked it up, examining it.

“You know, I’m surprised that it took you this long to realize that it wasn’t me.”

Sakura let out a ferocious scream before crushing the tape recorder in her hand.

“FIVE MINUTES, KAKASHI. YOU HEAR ME?! FIVE MINUTES!!!!!”

With Ino, Naruto, Shikamaru and Kakashi…

“I missed this. Why is Sakura screaming five minutes?” Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi was too busy rocking back and forth in a fetal position while crying on the couch to answer.

A/N: Okay. Hopefully I’ll be able to update this more often now. I hope you enjoyed it! Anyway, you know the drill! R&R! Domo arigato!

Ja ne,

TrinityFire13Guardian137