I know I wrote that this will be the last chapter, but actually there will be one more after this (you might be pleased to know XD). But that’s definitely final! I need to finish this story; it has gotten waaay longer than I planned. Anyway, hope everybody enjoys the penultimate instalment. The chapter name relates to facing the consequences of the events of the race, i.e., Sakura and Sasuke becoming aware of what has passed between them throughout the story. Bwahaha. Enjoy the SasuSaku goodness that follows!

Chapter VII: The Consequences

.‘Flashback”’

The devastating power of the explosion stole the very will to breathe from her lungs. One moment she had been by Ino and Shikamaru’s side; the next, she opened her mouth in a soundless cry of agony as she was torn apart from her friends.

'SAKURAAA!’ Ino’s hysterical scream was drowned away in the deafening din as an unbearable heat assaulted Sakura’s senses. Thick, black smoke was suffocating her, blurring her vision with stinging, blinding tears. She felt as though she were being burned alive.

A terrible force flung her back, straight toward the jagged surface of a crumbled stone wall. Her world plunged into darkness before she slammed into it.

For what seemed like an eternity, she floated in a sea of endless grey. Mercifully, there was no more pain. The small light that flickered in the foggy dimness was negligible at first, but grew steadily until it became a blazing, undeniable fire. With it the pain came rushing back with startling suddenness and Sakura gasped, eyes flying open.

Disorientation cleared enough for her to realise that she was sprawled, half sitting, and half lying, on the ground. The choking blanket of smoke still hung heavily in the air. Everything else was eerily quiet, save for the crackling sound of burning flames around her.

She gradually became conscious of warmth behind her. Her head was resting back against something … something solid. A shoulder, she dimly realised. And she could feel her back pressing against a chest – masculine - that rose and fell in slow, even breathing. Through the haze she made out two long legs on either side of her. A badly scratched arm rested limply on the cracked ground to her left. She felt the cool, light touch of fingertips just above her right wrist.

With great, agonising effort, Sakura forced her aching limbs to move. She shifted, scooting away from the body of the person who had cushioned her from slamming into a wall of jagged, crippling rock. She turned her head to know their identity and her breath caught in her throat. Green eyes widened in shock at what she saw.

Raven strands of hair were plastered against a pool of crimson seeping from the nasty gash on the left side of his forehead. There was blood on the crumbled wall behind him. His heavy, dark lashes were lowered but rose slightly on sensing her movement.

For a long moment they simply stared at each other; she coming to terms with what he had done for her while he silently, nonchalantly, dismissed it as nothing.

‘S ... Sakura ...’ he rasped, wincing from the sharp, throbbing pain in his head that protested against him speaking. ‘Y ... you’re heavy.’

She could only gaze at him in wide-eyed, open-mouthed astonishment. She was trembling, drowning in an ocean of childhood recollections that stubbornly refused to die. She was suddenly twelve years old again, gazing into the dizzy, disorientated, bottomless black eyes of a boy whose body was covered in sharp, stinging needles, a boy she had been helpless to assist.

The memory faded but his eyes remained.

Sakura reached out to him, to his wounds, with tender, shaking hands, hands that he now knew possessed the ability to heal.

‘Sasuke-kun,’ she whispered. At the sound of his name on her lips, his eyelids lowered again tiredly and he finally succumbed to exhaustion.

.‘End/Flashback”’

He had only looked away for a moment, but knew all too well who it was that now stood by his left side. An arm draped casually over his shoulders and Sasuke stared vehemently at an unfortunate spot on the ground. If looks could kill, the poor patch of grass would have withered away in an instant.

An exaggerated sigh met his ears.

‘Tsk, that’s life, eh Sasuke?’ Naruto’s voice spoke up cheerfully. ‘You win some and you lose some; except I’m always beating you, eheh heh heh heh heh!’

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Keep cool, don’t react, keep cool, don’t react, keep cool ... he chanted the words over and over in his mind like a mantra. But unknown to him his own body language was betraying him.

Naruto examined his best friend’s face closely. He could see the clenched muscles in Sasuke’s jaw line, recognised the slight, irritated tilt of one dark brow. The blonde’s grin widened; he was confident that he could force a reaction out of the young Uchiha with just a few more cunningly selected statements.

‘I knew I would win,’ Naruto boasted, ‘this is all part of my plan, my vision and my dream to be Hokage!’ His bright blue eyes twinkled as something suddenly crossed his mind. Leaning closer to Sasuke, he added sympathetically in a loud whisper, ‘Hey, hey, teme, I’m sure it wasn’t all your fault that you weren’t fast enough. Sakura-chan is a little heavy isn’t she?’

Sakura ... heavy? Sasuke might have told her so in the past, but in reality she hardly weighed a thing. While he was thinking this, Naruto was continuing blithely on, unaware of a certain presence looming behind him.

‘But I bet it was all worth it, eh Sasuke? Carrying Sakura-chan like that must’ve been really – yow!’ An elbow slammed into his ribs and the blond yelped, suddenly doubling over, clutching at his left side. He now used Sasuke as support, cringing as he turned his eyes onto an angry Sakura.

‘What did you just say, Naruto?!’ she demanded indignantly. She was wearing both her and Sasuke’s flower wreaths; Kurenai had known better than to attempt to place the wreath around Sasuke’s neck. The expression that was now on Sakura’s face was one that spelt a swift and impending doom for the Fourth’s son.

Naruto turned two shades paler. He had seen Ino approach Sakura and drag her a short distance away and had used the opportunity to sneak up to Sasuke in the belief that he was safe from the pink-haired medic’s wrath. How wrong he had been.

‘Eheh heh, I ... err ... I was just congratulating Sasuke on a good race! R ... right Sasuke?’

Sasuke smothered the self-satisfied smirk that threatened to break out on his lips. He knew that he could twist what Naruto had said and lead Sakura to give the blond a black eye. As tempted as he was to open his mouth and cause trouble, he decided against it. Naruto had won fairly and squarely on his part, after all. It was hard to swallow the defeat down for he had participated with the sole intention of winning and bettering Naruto.

At least, that was how he had started the race. At the end he had found that his priorities had switched completely. Sasuke had begun to notice things that his younger mind had never previously dwelled on; the way Sakura had clung onto him tightly, the feel of her light, feminine body behind him, against him, in his arms, the sweet vanilla and cherry-blossom scent of her hair.

It bothered him. Picking her up and catching her had always come so naturally, so innocently to him before. But she had grown up, and so had he, and now he felt awkward to do so, especially after the events of the race.

Whatever. It didn’t mean anything, he told himself. He chanced a glance at Sakura from the corner of his vision and noticed that her cheeks were tinged an embarrassed yet charming shade of pink. She hadn’t blushed like that around him since the early Genin days of Team 7, back when she had been a useless, fawning admirer. He averted his eyes back to an interesting spot on the grass. Suddenly, completely unbidden, words filled his mind, words he had heard almost a month and a half back. Words that, for reasons unknown to him, he still remembered, no matter how hard he had tried to dismiss them.

.‘Flashback”’

He had heard it on a day when both Naruto and Sakura had been away on a mission.

Sasuke had just finished a round of tediously tossing shuriken at targets. Despite not concentrating he had hit dead centre each time. He had left the training ground, feeling bored and very discontented, knowing full well that his every movement was being tracked. On his way back to his house, he had rounded a corner and stopped by a food store to top up on a few basic supplies.

Entering the small shop, he was browsing the shelves when the mention of his name caught his attention. It was coming from the other side of the store, separated from him by a tall row of shelves and a beaded curtain.

‘-who’ll support Sasuke’s cause.’

He hadn’t recognised the voice; it was female, but one that was unknown to him. The voice of practicality and reason in his head had instructed him to ignore the conversation. He wasn’t one to normally eavesdrop, after all. He was minding his own business - he really was, when a high pitched second voice made him tune in again despite himself.

‘Don’t be silly, lots of people will. I think Sasuke-kun’s gained even more admirers!’

The light gossipy tones were unmistakable in their identity. Ino was an established chatterbox, with a distinct lilt to her words. Sasuke browsed through more items, suddenly struck by a nagging curiosity. Why was Ino even talking about him? As far as he knew, the girl had wisely moved on from her childish crush on him. Why would she be discussing his admirers?

‘He’s lost some too,’ the unfamiliar girl’s voice replied dryly.

‘That’s life, neh?’ Ino replied chirpily. ‘Time changes things. I mean, look at me! A few years ago I was crazy about him! Now I really don’t see what all the fuss is about-’

‘Get real, Ino!’ her friend interjected.

Ino giggled. ‘Well, OK, he’s tall, dark and incredibly handsome, and lots of girls like the sexy, brooding, renegade type, but I’ve got Shika-kun! Sure he annoys me and at times he’s unbearably lazy, but I wouldn’t swap him for anyone!’

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Girls sure talked about dull things.

‘Geez, you’ve sure grown up Ino,’ the other girl sighed.

‘We all had to, didn’t we?’ Ino replied, voice oddly serious for a moment. Then she sighed in turn. ‘Some of us are too grown up now, though. Ugh!’ She released a sound of frustration. ‘Take Sakura for instance! All she does is go on missions or spend time helping out at the hospital. It’s all work, work, work with her!’

‘Maybe she’s trying to keep her mind off something?’ her friend put in helpfully.

‘That’s what I thought! But what do you think it is?’ Ino’s voice had taken on a teasing tone that suggested she knew exactly what the girl would answer.

Sasuke had heard enough. He reached out to quietly pick up a required food item and then he would be on his way.

‘I dunno,’ Ino’s friend replied, ‘a certain Uchiha maybe?’

Sasuke’s hand paused and wavered in the air.

‘Yeah, I thought so too! But she insisted to me the other day that she no longer thinks of Sasuke-kun in that way. She’s so convincing that I’m almost starting to believe her!’ Ino exclaimed shrilly.

‘Maybe it’s the truth,’ her friend countered calmly. ‘It was only a crush for her too, right?’

Ino sighed again. ‘Don’t tell Forehead this,’ she replied, voice dropping slightly, but not low enough that Sasuke couldn’t hear her words, ‘but I always thought she felt something more, you know? Sure it started off as a silly crush and a competition between us. We were rivals and I never would’ve admitted it at the time, but I could see how much she really, really cared for him.’

‘They were team-mates; it’s completely normal,’ the other girl argued.

‘Yes, but it seemed to go even beyond that. We girls can tell these things, neh? All the little touches and the shy or worried little glances that Mr. Ice-Cube has always been oblivious to, and the way his leaving the village really affected her.’

‘Geez, I remember that. Sakura was so down,’ her friend agreed.

‘Exactly!’ Ino exclaimed, voice rising again. ‘Then she spent years running after him with Naruto and now that he’s back, she’s doing absolutely nothing about it! Can you believe that girl? I don’t know what it means!’

‘It can only mean one thing can’t it?’ the other girl responded.

‘Eh?’ Ino asked, sounding confused. ‘And that is?’

‘Well, she’s moved on,’ came the simple reply.

Sasuke mind had suddenly become completely and utterly blank. His arm had dropped and he had turned and exited the store empty-handed. He had returned to his residence feeling tired, hungry, bothered and moody. He had known why he was tired and he had known why he was hungry. He had refused, however, to acknowledge exactly why he felt bothered and moody.

.‘End/Flashback”’

She had moved on. She had told Ino so herself. Sasuke had heard it and believed it in his careful analysis of her behaviour toward him since then. They were friends, team-mates from childhood – and that was strictly all.

That is all, he thought firmly. That was the way he had always wanted it to be, even on the night that she had confessed her love to him. He hadn’t wanted and hadn’t been able to face the reality of her feelings for him back then. But in retrospect, now that he considered it, perhaps she had merely made herself believe that she had been in love with him. Perhaps she had been so desperate that she had confused it for another type of love altogether. Perhaps all that she had said had been a lie.

The thought struck him with a suddenness that sparked a feeling akin to anger and irritation deep within him. Why was he even thinking about it? He had pushed memories of that night into the furthest corners of his mind, forced them into the compartment that held recollections of his childhood days as a Team 7 member. A compartment that had threatened to burst open on many occasions during his exile, and would have, had it not been for the disciplined, iron lid he had sealed firmly over it.

Those memories were innocent and precious to him. He had realised it a year earlier, in a battle with Team Hawk, a battle against Killer Bee, vessel of the eight tailed beast. Death had been staring them all in the face, and Sasuke had closed his eyes to find an image of them in his mind – his old team, consisting of his silver-haired sensei, the loud-mouthed blond, and the smiling, rosette haired girl. The three people that he had not been able to forget, the three people who he had been unable to completely sever his bonds with. He had remembered them, remembered their sacrifices and their selflessness and that had given him strength – the strength needed to survive.

Tsunade’s voice over the microphone drew Sasuke from his thoughts and saved Naruto from the terrible wrath of Sakura.

‘It is time to crown the winners of this year’s contest! Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata! Step forward!’

Poor Hinata looked as though she were still in a state of utter disbelief. Short, rapid bursts of air escaped her lips and she clutched a pale hand over her heart. This was all too much excitement for one day! First Naruto had approached her and asked her to team up with him. Then, for the entire duration of the race he had been the perfect gentleman. Her heart fluttered and soared when she recalled how it had felt to be held by him. He was adorably clumsy by nature but had done his very best to protect her from coming to any harm.

Now she was being crowned the winner of the race which meant that she would get to sit on the Queen’s throne beside the King’s; her king. Hinata suddenly wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground. She was so hopelessly in love with Naruto that it was all too much for her to bear. Why did she have to feel this way all the time? She desperately wished that she didn’t blush furiously and stammer and stumble every time Naruto’s bright blue eyes glanced in her general direction.

Her pale lavender gaze darted to Sakura who was pushing a grinning Naruto away from Sasuke. Why couldn’t she be more composed like Sakura was? She admired the pink-haired medic-nin for so many reasons, including her confidence and her seemingly effortless ability to adopt a completely relaxed and unruffled front in Sasuke’s presence. Hinata wasn’t sure she believed the rumours about Sakura relinquishing her feelings for her childhood crush. But she could understand how it felt to harbour emotions so strong that one felt the need to repress them. The only problem was that the dark-haired Hyuuga heiress wore her heart on her face and could not for the life of her pretend otherwise.

A soft pat on her back made her stiffen and she glanced to her right to find Tenten, watching her with big, inquisitive brown eyes.

‘Are you alright?’ she questioned.

‘Y ... yes!’ Hinata squeaked. Then, because she felt guilty for stealing Tenten’s crown from her, the Hyuuga princess bowed apologetically. ‘I ... I’m so sorry if I caused any upset! I didn’t mean-’

Tenten’s fine eyebrows rose and a small smile played on her lips. She motioned for the girl to straighten up again. ‘No, no, congratulations,’ she said kindly, ‘you won fair and square and deserve the victory.’

‘Thank you,’ Hinata whispered in response. Tenten’s smile widened and she patted the dark-haired girl again.

‘Head’s up! Your king’s coming!’ She winked and moved away as Naruto bounded over, blue eyes twinkling with merriment.

‘Hinata-chan! We won! We won! I knew nobody could beat us! And I got to rub my victory in Sasuke-teme’s face too, eheh heh heh!’

‘You ... you did v ... very well, Naruto-kun,’ Hinata managed to compliment.

Naruto blinked and then he placed a hand sheepishly to the back of his neck, lowering his eyes shyly.

‘Heh ... I ... well, I didn’t win all by myself, you know ...’

‘Oh!’ Hinata gasped, waving her hands in an agitated manner. ’No! Please, I ... I didn’t do much!’

Naruto’s lips curved up into a small, soft smile. Without her Byakugan, he knew he would have lost. He liked modest people and her modest words were endearing. Despite her clan’s sky-high reputation, Hinata was still so humble.

Unlike others, Naruto snorted silently to himself, shooting a quick glance at where one Uchiha Sasuke stood with Sakura.

The applauding crowd drew the blond youth out of his musings. He grinned, back on more familiar, comfortable turf, and raised his left arm to wave to the smiling villagers. He grabbed Hinata’s hand with his right, pulling her forward and into the spotlight so that they were surrounded by people. Hinata’s shoulders hunched reflexively and she ducked her head down, terribly embarrassed by all the attention.

‘Naruto, Naruto! Hinata, Hinata!’ the crowd cheered.

Tsunade’s voice blared out of the microphone once again. ‘Yamato! Shizune! Bring forth the prizes!’

Both Yamato and Shizune hurried forward, carrying the King and Queen Crowns, sceptres and cloaks.

‘Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata!’ Tsunade declared, ‘I officially announce you to be this year’s Ribbon Race winners! Your crowning will now commence! Congratulations once again!’

The crowd erupted once more as Yamato arranged the red, velvety cloak around Naruto’s shoulders. The blond beamed as he took the sceptre from the tall, brown-haired shinobi, and his grin widened further as the King’s crown was set upon his head. He had finally won! Nothing could beat the feeling. Next to Yamato, Shizune was setting the Queen’s crown carefully on Hinata’s dark, silky head. Once it had been done, Naruto and Hinata took their places on the winners’ thrones, confetti falling all around them.

Iruka approached Naruto, giving him the thumbs up.

‘Way to go, Naruto! Didn’t I tell you that you’d win this year for sure?’

Naruto pointed cheekily at him with the sceptre.

‘It’s King Naruto now, Iruka-sensei!’

Iruka chuckled, bowing in jest. ‘I think you deserve a kingly treat, your Highness! How about I take you for some ramen after this?’

Naruto’s eyes widened and his mouth began watering at the mere prospect. ‘Wow, really? Count me in!’

While all this was going on, Neji was directing another disgusted glare at a very distraught looking Lee. Tenten, standing beside him, released a heavy sigh, but raised her hands to clap good naturedly.

Sasuke, who had been pretending not to watch the proceedings but had been secretly spying out of the corner of his eye, snorted silently and derisively in his mind. He hadn’t quite expected the winners to be recognised in this manner. How silly and superfluous their crowning was. He was now genuinely glad that he hadn’t won; it had saved him from having to sit on a throne with everybody’s attention on him – and having to share the experience with Sakura, no less.

He’d had enough nonsense for one day. Standing to his left, Sakura was watching the celebrations, hands clasped behind her back. Without saying a word to her, he dug his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. His destination was his house, where he could close his front door and shut everybody and everything out.

He managed to walk quite a distance undetected – when Kakashi’s voice sounded behind him, stopping him in his tracks.

‘It’s only a game, hey, Sasuke?’

‘Hn,’ Sasuke grunted, almost inaudibly.

Kakashi walked up to him. ‘The festival’s not quite over yet. Stay a while more.’

‘Why?’ Sasuke found himself replying in irritation. ‘This was just a silly waste of time.’

Kakashi sighed heavily. He glanced back at where Naruto was grinning and waving and generally goofing around.

‘You might think so,’ the silver-haired Copy ninja calmly replied, ‘but those young shinobi and kunoichi have been through a lot in the last year. As have you. Sometimes, it’s important to unwind. Besides, it doesn’t hurt, does it? You’ve got a lot of time to spare, haven’t you?’

‘…’ Sasuke remained silent at that.

Kakashi sighed again, shoulders slumping slightly. Some things never changed. Then a thought occurred to him and he tried again, injecting a lighter tone into his words.

‘Well, Naruto finally won this contest. He always wished that he could compete against you some day. And as silly as it all seems, it means a lot to some people here that you came, Sasuke.’

Sasuke’s gaze shifted reluctantly back to the enthusiastic crowd. Sakura had just turned and noticed his absence. He saw the slight, worried shift in her expression as she searched for him, and when she finally caught sight of him standing beside Kakashi, relief seemed to flood through her. She smiled brightly, gave a small wave then turned her attention back to the crowd.

Sasuke’s eyes moved to where Naruto sat at the throne. The Dobe was thoroughly enjoying being the centre of everybody’s attention. He held a glass beverage in his hand and caught Sasuke’s eye across the distance.

Naruto raised his glass in toast, smiling goofily. Despite himself, Sasuke felt some of his earlier irritation slip away. He would never admit it out loud, but Kakashi was right. His sensei usually got to say ‘I told you so’, no matter how bad he was at being punctual.

A light pat on his back indicated that Kakashi was done and Sasuke could choose to do as he pleased. He could continue to walk away as he had been doing, or he could return to Sakura’s side and people-watch.

He stood indecisively for a moment. Then his decision was made for him. Sai had approached Sakura, offering her a beverage, the same, blank, irritating smile plastered on his pasty face. Sasuke was already walking slowly back toward the pink-haired medic nin. As he reached her again, a raised voice to his right caught his attention. Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino stood in a small circle. Some of them weren’t taking defeat so graciously; Inuzuka Kiba to name one person in particular.

‘Who’re you calling slow, Ino?!’ he demanded of the blonde kunoichi. Akamaru barked indignantly beside him. Ino, always up for a challenge, placed pale hands on her slender hips. Shikamaru cringed, knowing that his girlfriend was working herself into one of her troublesome states.

‘You heard me!’ Ino replied, sticking out her tongue. ‘You were so sure you’d beat our team; well serves you right for underestimating us!’

‘Grrr, you got lucky!’ Kiba retorted. ‘On any other day, I could’ve beaten you with my eyes blind-folded!’

‘Hah! As if that would ever happen,’ Ino scoffed, waving a perfectly manicured hand dismissively.

Lee, who had been passing the group and heard the last part, jumped forward to join the bickering.

‘Next time, youth will prevail for sure!’ he interjected enthusiastically.

‘Oh please, not the ‘youth will prevail’ speech again,’ Ino said, rolling her baby blue eyes.

Lee peered into her face with odd, dark eyes. He blinked once. Twice.

‘Do you doubt the power of youth?’ he questioned. Ino’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily and she raised her hands defensively, seeking to put distance between their faces.

‘Ugh, not so close, Lee!’

‘You only finished one spot above us!’ Kiba was going on. ‘And anyway, at least one member of Team 8 finished first! Where did your other team-mate finish, huh?’

Sakura, who could hear the exchange from where she was standing, sighed and placed a palm to her forehead. Predictably, the race argument was whittling down to a dispute between Team 8 and Team 10.

Even Shikamaru was starting to look annoyed with Kiba now. Shino was the only one who remained level-headed, watching the interaction with cool detachment. In reality, he was secretly brooding about feeling left out.

‘You can stop right there-’ The Nara genius began, but Kiba was already going on.

Sakura stiffened, eyes widening in dread.

‘Oh no!’ she gasped, ‘Kiba’s going to-!’

‘Insult Chouji’s build?’ Sai finished tactfully.

‘I’m surprised Chouji didn’t finish dead last!’ Kiba was going on rudely and loudly, completely disregarding the desperate, calming hand gestures Sakura was directing his way. ‘With all that fat he carries around, it’s a surprise he could participate at all!’

Ino’s jaw dropped. Shikamaru looked mortified. Shino shook his head and Lee blinked and glanced back at where Chouji stood within hearing range, munching on (even more) snacks.

The big boned shinobi had suddenly frozen, chip held up to his open mouth. His face then began to turn red, becoming more aggressive by the second.

Naruto, who had risen from his throne and stringed Hinata along to join the group, only served to aggravate matters further.

‘Hey, hey guys! See the crown on my head?’ he exclaimed, pointing enthusiastically. ‘Didn’t I tell you that I’d win? Didn’t I, didn’t I?!’

Hinata, who had noticed the tension and the way they were all staring at Chouji, twiddled her index fingers together and stuttered, ‘N … Naruto-kun …’

Naruto blinked, finally noticing that something was amiss.

‘Eh?’ he squinted at all the anxious faces. ‘What’s up?’

‘Kiba said the ‘F’ word!’ Ino whispered, not taking her eyes off Chouji.

Cerulean orbs widened in alarm as understanding dawned on Naruto’s handsome features. ‘Uh oh. You didn’t!’ he hissed at Kiba.

‘So what?’ Kiba barked. ‘It’s not like he heard me-’

‘He did hear you,’ Shino said quietly. ‘He heard you, because he is standing behind you.’

Kiba’s face went three shades paler. ‘He’s … behind me?’ he echoed weakly. He glanced back over his shoulder, and sure enough Chouji was glaring at him with murderous intent. His body was starting to swell up, gradually getting wider and bigger, like a puffer fish expanding to alarming proportions.

‘What did you say about my weight?’ he demanded ominously of Kiba.

‘Uh … uh … I said that you’re f- … flat!’ Kiba stammered.

‘Yes!’ Ino forgot all about their dispute and rushed to back him up. ‘He said flat!’

Chouji looked uncertain, not quite convinced. Everybody waited with baited breath, until it seemed that Chouji was going to buy Kiba’s cover and let the issue go.

But then Sai raised a hand pointedly. ‘Actually,’ he put in, smiling helpfully, ‘Kiba called you fat-’

‘Sai!’ Sakura cried, grabbing at him in horror. How many times before he learned?!

But it was too late. Chouji erupted, like a rumbling volcano. The group of young shinobi and kunoichi, save for Sasuke and Sai, shrieked. Chouji had become a giant meat ball and was rolling straight toward them, rapidly building speed. They had mere seconds to scatter.

Akamaru was barking like mad. The scene was utter chaos.

‘GUUAAAAHHHH!’ Naruto wailed, clinging tightly onto Hinata’s arm. His crown fell to the ground as everybody scrambled hysterically around him to get out of Chouji’s war path. But Lee stumbled in panic, tripping Ino over in the process. She screamed and grasped desperately at Shikamaru, who tried helplessly to pull her back up and away.

Sasuke, glaring death at Sai, stepped swiftly forward and shoved him away from Sakura. He then grabbed hold of Sakura’s slender arm and pulled her back. He would have gotten her, and himself, to safety, were it not for the person who crashed into him from behind at that very moment. In his intent to get himself and Sakura out of harm’s way, Sasuke had failed to notice Kiba running blindly toward them. Knocked uncharacteristically off balance, Sasuke stumbled forward and turned just in time to face the giant ball of destruction descending upon them all.

His onyx eyes, usually so cool and detached, now widened marginally in alarm.

Oh, shit-

Someone was tugging desperately at him – Sakura he realised – but it was too late. One by one Chouji rounded them up, smacking into Lee so that Lee fell back into a shrieking Ino, Ino into Shikamaru, Shikamaru onto Shino, Shino onto a gasping Hinata, Hinata onto a howling Naruto, Naruto onto Sai, Sai onto Kiba, Kiba onto Sasuke–

In the last split seconds he had, Sasuke jerked Sakura in front of him so that he, rather than she, would take the full weight and impact of the fall. They all tumbled to the ground, a tangle of arms and legs. Flower wreaths tore and flew with dust into the air. Chouji rolled to a stop beside them, breathing heavily, eyes still narrowed into furious slits.

Anko, who had been watching with a gasping crowd, approached him cautiously.

‘Hey, Chouji,’ she addressed him with all the authority she could muster, ‘I think you need to calm down-’

‘I. AM. NOT. FAT!’ Chouji bit out each word indignantly. ‘Just big boned!’

Kurenai, who had joined Anko, offered a soothing smile and placed a calming hand on Chouji’s shoulder.

‘Pay them no heed, Chouji. Look, they’re selling your favourite iced fruit mix on that stall over there,’ the dark haired woman pointed behind her. ‘What do you say we go get a glass or two?’

Chouji relaxed, slowly losing his anger and deflating back to his original size.

‘OK, Kurenai-sama,’ he nodded respectfully. Her smile widened and she gently steered him around, toward the drink stall. Chouji directed one last glance over his shoulder, assessing the chaos he had created, before turning and walking away, looking mighty pleased.

Anko released a sigh of relief. Then she placed her hands on her hips, looking at the mess of young people on the ground. Kakashi and Yamato joined her. The adults shook their heads, exchanging helpless glances with each other.

Ino, who was lucky enough to have landed on top of the pile, rubbed her aching head. She fell off, feeling nauseous and disorientated.

‘Ugh …’ It then suddenly occurred to her that her hair must look a mess and she screeched, hands flying up to restore presentable order to her silky blonde mane.

‘W … way to go, Sai!’ Kiba growled at the pale boy sprawled above him. He tried to push him off, but to no avail. There were five other people on top of him. Still, it could be worse. At least he wasn’t at the bottom of the pile.

Sai winced, but still managed to offer a blank, infuriating smile.

‘I was merely finishing what you started,’ he replied, his face right in Kiba’s.

Kiba gawked at him incredulously. Did the guy know anything about social decorum? He raised a hand and pushed it into Sai’s annoying face. ‘Geez, you’re too close!’ he glared. Thankfully, the weight above him became slightly less crushing as Shikamaru stumbled off and to his feet.

‘You’re all so troublesome,’ he complained. ‘How many times have I warned you against using that word in front of Chouji?’

‘Well, obviously Mr. Tactful there doesn’t get it!’ Ino exclaimed, shooting daggers at poor Sai.

Lee hopped off, as fit as a fiddle. Then he gasped in dismay, spying a breathless Sakura second last from bottom.

‘S … Sakura-san!’ Round eyes turned to Shino. He rushed forward and pulled him up next.

At the bottom of the pile, Sasuke was positively fuming. He was going to tear Sai’s brainless head off. No- he was going to fry him using Katon- no, better yet, he was going to electrocute the life out of him with a well-charged stream of Chidori-

Because, damn it, not only had he been less than gracefully squished at the bottom of a pile of utter morons, but Sakura, Sakura, had landed on top of him so awkwardly that he had to turn his head left at an impossibly uncomfortable angle in order to avoid coming nose to nose with her. She was that close.

He uttered explicative after explicative in his mind, cursing his replacement over and over. In the race, he had been able to shift the way he had held Sakura, but now the front of her warm, soft body was crushing against his beneath the weight of the others and he could do absolutely nothing about it. He was a young man who liked his personal space and this was way out of his comfort zone. Ice-cool Uchiha Sasuke never felt embarrassment, but he was mightily close to doing so at that moment. As if things weren’t wretched enough for him, he could feel Kakashi’s amused gaze on him, too.

No doubt his perverted sensei was enjoying his evident discomfort.

Well, Kakashi was indeed idly noting, this is interesting.

Meanwhile, Sakura was trying desperately (and in vain) to ignore the feel of strong, hard muscles beneath her. Her heart was pounding and she was sure Sasuke could feel it against his chest. Her cheeks were tinged pink. She bit her lower lip, utterly mortified, frozen helplessly on top of him. She dared not move her head; it was already taking everything out of her to keep her right cheek from pressing against Sasuke’s. When they had initially landed on the ground, the air had been knocked out of Sasuke’s lungs and Sakura had gasped apology after apology. But it wasn’t her fault that he was being crushed.

Shannarooo! She was going to send Sai flying all the way to the Hidden Mist village, damn it!

Lee had now gotten to Hinata, who stared, red faced, up at him. Thankfully, she had not landed facing Naruto – for the embarrassment would have surely killed her – but the blond was clutching onto the loose fabric of her top regardless. He was spluttering as Lee helped Hinata off him.

Like a turtle sprawled helplessly on its back, Naruto struggled before tumbling away from the human tower. He fell unceremoniously to the ground, breathing heavily.

‘Sai, you BASTARD!’ he yelled, but his anger quickly faded as he spied his crown and sceptre, undamaged, lying nearby. He scrambled to retrieve them.

Sai got off the pile, apologising sheepishly.

‘Sorry everyone-’

He broke off, for Kiba shoved him angrily off the pile. When Kiba got off her, Sakura pushed away from Sasuke like he was a live wire. As soon as she got to her feet, she rounded on Sai. The next moment, poor Sai was seeing stars as Sakura sent him skidding into the ground. Strands of earthy grass flew into the air as Sai lay there, dazed.

‘You idiot!’ she seethed, breathing rapidly, trying to calm her racing heart.

Everybody, even Shino, was glad to see Sakura dishing out justice to the tactless youth. Lee, who had been about to ask Sakura if she was alright, wisely kept his distance.

Sasuke sat up, chest feeling tight, limbs feeling sore all over. Naruto walked over to him, grinning.

‘Ouch, teme,’ he said, holding out a hand to pull his best friend up. ‘That had to hurt.’ His eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘Or maybe it wasn’t really that bad because you had-’

Sasuke knew what he was leading to and couldn’t let him finish his statement. He took his hand and Naruto obligingly pulled him to his feet - only to find himself sprawled on the ground a split second later.

Ino was impressed. Sasuke was fast, and it didn’t hurt that he had a great body, either. Shikamaru caught the appreciative look on her face and sighed heavily. She caught herself, and blinked innocently at him.

Naruto spluttered. ‘What was that for, you asshole?!’ he exclaimed, staring incredulously up at Sasuke, who stood over him with arms folded across his chest.

Sasuke’s face seemed expressionless, but Naruto’s trained eye detected a ghost of a smirk forming on the raven-haired Uchiha’s lips.

‘To remind you that without that crown, you’re always dead-last,’ he replied arrogantly.

‘Say wha-?!’ Naruto was on his feet in a flash, glaring. Sasuke stared back at him smugly.

‘What’d you say, teme?!’ Naruto demanded, daring Sasuke to repeat his words.

Sasuke dared. ‘Dead-last,’ he said, and then added for guaranteed effect, ‘Dobe.’

Sakura looked back and forth between them helplessly. Thankfully, their exchange was distracting attention away from her visible embarrassment. She could feel her cheeks gradually cooling and her heart beat steadying. But unknown to her, Ino was watching her, eagle-eyed.

‘What’d you call me?!’ Naruto’s voice was rising progressively.

‘Hn. Deaf, too.’

‘WHAT?!’ came the furious yell, ‘I’m gonna kick your ass-’

Kakashi sighed. Although it was nice to see an open display of bickering between them (it reminded him of when his students had been younger, innocent Genin), the interaction was fast turning into a vintage Naruto-Sasuke standoff. He waved a hand, signalling that enough was enough. ‘Alright, you two, break it up.’

But of course, Naruto wasn’t listening.

‘You just can’t admit that I totally owned you-’

‘You wish,’ Sasuke dead-panned.

‘Why you … you teme-’

Iruka, who had rushed over on realising that Tsunade was growing irritated at the attention their bickering was drawing, decided to hastily step in.

‘Hey, hey, Naruto! Let’s go get ramen now, what do you say?!’ he suggested. ‘Bring all your friends, too! I’m sure Yamato and Kakashi won’t mind chipping in.’

‘What?!’ Poor Yamato and Kakashi exclaimed in unison, perspiring at the very thought of having to buy so many bowls of ramen. Anko grinned at their misfortune.

Sure enough, Naruto took the bait. He blinked, promptly forgetting Sasuke’s existence.

‘Wow, really Iruka-sensei?! Right now? Cool!’ He waved enthusiastically to the others. ‘Last one to Ichiraku’s a loser!’ With that, he dashed forward, racing toward his much loved ramen bar, and calling for Hinata to follow.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. How troublesome. But Lee, Kiba and even Shino were moving off, and Sai was scrambling up, and Ino was running after them, and Shikamaru certainly did not want to be the loser. Akamaru chased after them, barking in excitement.

Kakashi and Yamato, sighing in defeat, trailed after Anko and Iruka, who shrugged helplessly at them. Sakura began to follow, not looking back to see if Sasuke would join them. The very idea of meeting his gaze filled her with embarrassment.

Sasuke didn’t want to watch her walk away, but his treacherous eyes were reluctantly rising to look anyway. They would all be at the ramen bar, the heroes and heroines of Konoha. Was he going to follow and play happy Leaf Village with them?

Not a chance. He turned his back, ready to head toward his house as he should have done earlier – but someone had other ideas.

‘SAKURA!’ Tsunade’s voice bellowed.

Sakura’s heart leapt and her body tensed. Oh, no. Fate could not be so cruel to her. Cringing, she turned to find the Hokage storming toward her, a thunderous look on her attractive face. Shizune followed anxiously after her, clutching Ton Ton tightly.

‘Hoy, Sakura!’ she addressed her student again, once she had reached her. ‘Just where do you think you’re going?’

‘I … er … well …’ she stammered, like a child caught with her hand stuck guiltily in the cookie jar.

‘The agreement was that you and Naruto keep watch over Sasuke!’ Tsunade roared, pointing toward where Sasuke was glaring at the most unfortunate patch of grass yet. He didn’t need any minders. Was Tsunade doing this deliberately? He had a growing suspicion that she was.

‘If you walk away and leave him unguarded, you are violating our agreement and I will not trust you again!’

Sakura bit her lower lip. ‘B … but shishou,’ she dared to argue, ‘Naruto just left me here-’

‘I DON’T CARE ABOUT NARUTO!’ Tsunade barked, causing Sakura to flinch and bite down hard on her foolish tongue. ‘HARUNO SAKURA! YOU’RE GOING TO ICHIRAKU’S AND YOU’RE TAKING UCHIHA SASUKE WITH YOU!’

Sasuke’s hateful glare turned to the blonde woman. Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, he silently cursed. Shizune looked sympathetically, almost apologetically, at him. Sakura, who dared not anger her master further, bowed her head, shoulders slumping.

‘H … hai, shishou,’ she replied, bowing respectfully. Then she glanced in Sasuke’s general direction. ‘Come with me, please, Sasuke-kun.’

But Sasuke folded his arms, turning his head away dismissively. ‘I’m going home,’ he stated obstinately. Then he almost instantly regretted it, for Tsunade had closed the gap between them and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Sakura gasped in alarm and Sasuke raised angry eyes to her face.

What’s your game? He silently demanded of her, meeting her gaze square on, hoping that she could see that he knew she was up to something. But Tsunade was not one to budge once she had made up her stubborn mind.

‘You will go to the ramen bar with the others,’ she said sweetly, voice deadly calm. ‘And then, after that, you will be escorted back to your house. Do you understand?’

She released him roughly and he glared at her again. She stared him back down, unblinking. It was a clash of wills. When it became apparent that there really was no arguing over the matter, Sasuke’s eyes lowered and he turned and stalked away, quickly overtaking Sakura and moving in the direction the others had headed toward.

Sakura stared, open mouthed, after him. She looked back at Tsunade, who pointed to Sasuke’s retreating back. Sakura clamped her jaw shut, nodded, and hurried after him.

Tsunade watched them go, and when they were far away enough, she allowed a small, grim, satisfied smile to form on her lips. Perfect.

Shizune, who was still staring in gaping shock after the pretty pink-haired medic kunoichi and the tall, handsome Uchiha, turned her incredulous gaze back to the Hokage.

‘Ts … Tsunade-sama,’ she stammered. ‘Don’t you think that maybe you were just a little hard on them?’

Tsunade’s eyes moved to her assistant.

‘The more time that insolent Uchiha brat spends in Sakura’s company, the better,’ she replied.

Before Shizune could decipher what this cryptic statement might mean, Tsunade turned on her heel and began walking toward her office. The festival was coming to an end and villagers were starting to head for home.

‘Come, Shizune!’ she called to the dark-haired woman, ‘I believe we have some cheaters to discipline this evening! Make preparations!’

Shizune straightened and rushed obediently after her.

‘Yes, Tsunade-sama!’

Author’s Note

There you have it, everyone! The end of the penultimate chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one, although it’s taken me ages to complete. Sorry again about the slow update! But I made this chapter really long to kinda make up for it XD So I hope you all liked reading it! Anyway, I’d love it if you wonderful readers left your thoughts on this, as reviews are golden : ) I’ll work on the very last chapter as soon as I can. I’ve already got the content drafted so it’s just a matter of finding the time to type it all up into something readable XD Thanks a lot to each and every reviewer for your continued support and encouragement! Watch this space for the last instalment dudes. Ciao for now! ; P