Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Butterfly ❯ Sweet Tequila ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: In case you've missed the past 11 chapters, I still don't own Naruto.

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who's been reviewing and enjoying the story so far. I've been getting the most awesome reviews! You guys are great. Just a few notes for this chapter, yeah I know Sakura and Sasuke are OOC later in the chapter…my excuse is that they're seriously drunk…and that they are conveniently happy drunks ^_^.

As for my livejournal, its is here: www.livejournal.com/users/anotherstraycat (for FF.net: livejournal. com /users / anotherstraycat). My livejournal will be host to some brainstorming in regards to the fic as well as a spot for some discarded writing. I've also been ranting about my other artistic projects as well so if you're interested you can check those out as well.

Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

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The Butterfly: Chapter 12

By: Tea Leaf / Banana Soap

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Gaara gently tugged her into Tsunade's office after him. The closer she'd gotten to the tower, the more he'd had to pull her for each step. She didn't want to see Tsunade.

"Ah, Sakura. I was hoping you would stop by." Tsunade said deceptively pleasant as she entered the office.

"Please have a seat." The Hokage continued.

Sakura stood rooted to place for a second but then did as requested.

"Gaara, it's getting late. That little girl needs to be put to bed." Tsunade said then, her eyes never leaving the pink haired girl sitting in front of her.

Gaara's eyes narrowed but Tsunade was right, Mika was falling asleep on his shoulder.

"We'll talk tomorrow." He told Sakura as he laid his free hand on her shoulder.

She nodded once and he left the room.

Tsunade's expression turned deadly serious when the door shut.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sure you already know why ANBU was after you." The older woman stated bluntly.

She didn't respond.

"You are thought to be the murderess of 37 people." She continued.

Her facial muscles tightened slightly.

"However, new evidence has come to light that would suggest that the deaths were accidental and not caused by you at all." Tsunade told her, still poker faced.

Sakura frowned slightly.

"I expect that you'll be wanting to thank Shikamaru and Ino for figuring that out."

She frowned more.

"Despite that, these are simply theories and not actual proof so you are still a suspect. You will remain in the village until the matter is resolved." The Hokage said as she stood and walked over to the shelf to the left of her desk.

She'd expected her to say that.

"Here." Tsunade said suddenly as she tossed something at Sakura. Her right hand rose instinctively and caught it.

She stared at it, frowning deeply in confusion at her leaf forehead protector.

"I am not a Konaha ninja." She said simply.

"No, no you're not. You haven't been for a few years now but that's my fault. It just looks better on you then on my shelf." Tsunade replied as she continued to gaze at the contents of her shelf.

"I won't wear it." She responded.

"I didn't think you would."

Finally Sakura simply shrugged and stood up, slipping the band into her pocket.

"Stop by the hospital tomorrow after noon." Tsunade said then.

"Mm." She responded with a nod and left the room and the tower.

It was almost completely dark out now, the sun itself had sunk below the horizon but a few desperate streaks of color still played in the western sky.

Her feet started shuffling towards her old apartment building.

A brief conversation with the landlord informed her that her old apartment had been rented out and he had no vacancies.

She'd figured.

She kept wandering. The moon was rising now, the sky being completely dark. She found herself on the bridge.

She sighed.

She sat down on an edge, her feet dangling between the bars over the water below, as her forehead rested against the rails.

She should find a hotel. She didn't really want to get up though.

It was a warm night. She was comfortable here. Some fireflies were dancing over the river, glowing faintly in the darkness.

She heard steps coming from the woods.

She didn't look over.

He smiled to himself, he hadn't consciously expected to come here, but he was glad he had.

He came over and sat down beside her, his feet also dangling over the edge of the bridge.

They sat there quietly watching the fireflies. She smiled softly. It was a nice moment.

"You can stay at my place if you want. I've got a spare bedroom." He said eventually, he'd checked her apartment hours ago.

Her smile faded as the moment passed. She didn't answer right away.

There had been a time when she would have cut off her arm for a chance to spend the night with Uchiha Sasuke at his house. But now…now she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

It was a good idea…her apartment was gone, her money was short and she really didn't want to show up at anyone's door and impose her presence on them.

Eventually she nodded.

"Thanks." She responded.

The sat there longer, enjoying the cooling night air and the sound of the rushing water. She liked it here.

Finally he stood and held out his hand to her to help her to her feet. She took it and stood.

He let go.

He walked at his normal pace, and she limped as she tried to keep up.

They reached his house and he opened the door and turned on the lights before going into the kitchen. She closed the door behind her and slipped off her sandals and set down her bag before following him into the kitchen.

He was pouring some anonymous liquid into a glass. She smelt alcohol and smirked as she leaned against the doorjamb.

"Want one?" he asked before downing the shot.

She considered for a moment. She hated drinking alone but she didn't mind when she was with someone else.

"Sure." She answered as she walked over and sat down at his low table. He brought the bottle and two shot glasses and sat down across from her.

He filled one of the shots and handed it to her. She downed it easily.

{heh…tequila, straight} she wasn't surprised.

He refilled her glass and his. They drank together. He refilled them again…and again…and again…

And again until they were both feeling significantly better. She could no longer feel the throbbing ache in her leg and ribs, he could no longer feel that vise around his chest, and both were too light-headed to care about the darker thoughts that usually plagued them.

He tried to fill the glasses again.

"Ah damn, its empty…" he muttered as he stared up the spout of the obviously empty bottle. A final drop let go then and landed in his eye.

He cried out and started cursing fluently as he squeezed his eye shut and attempted to rub out the stinging pain.

Across the table she laughed, softly at first but her laughed grew as he attempted to stand to get to the sink to wash it out only to fall straight on his face.

{One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!} her inner self chanted as she laughed.

The stinging eventually subsided as he managed to pull himself back to the table.

He mock glared at her as she continued to laugh.

"Its not funny" he said, his words slightly slurred.

"Yes, it is" she responded with a huge grin.

He grinned back at her.

She looked like a different person when she laughed, she looked like that person he used to know. Especially with the blush coloring her cheeks and the faint glow to her skin. Mind you, the blush was probably because she was drunk and the blurriness that he thought was a glow was probably because he was drunk too.

"This is the first time I've seen you laugh in years…" he said then a little wistful as he rested his chin in his hand.

"Really?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side. Then she looked up as though trying to think of something.

"I guess that I just don't think a lot is all that funny anymore" she responded with a shrug.

"You should go see comedians or something then, you look prettier when you're laughing." He stated it as if it were obvious, as he continued to stare at her in an unfocused way.

"Really? Hmm…had I know that I would have laughed more often." She said as she crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on them.

"You should." He said as his eyes shifted to her arms.

His own reached out and grabbed them stretching them out. Her left one was still bandaged but her right one wasn't. He clumsily removed her bandage as she watched him curiously. He stared at the inside of her forearms.

She stared at them for bit too then looked up and stared at him questioningly.

"You don't hide them." He said bluntly.

"Why should I? I'm not ashamed of them." She answered easily.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because they're proof that I'm real. That I'm flesh, not glass. That I'm human and not a butterfly…" she answered, her mirth long faded as a darkness crept over her features.

He nodded.

"I think they're pretty." She continued. "They give me texture and make my body unique."

"You're unique anyway." He said but she wasn't listening.

"They're like your tattoos only cheaper" she said then in an effort to lighten the mood and change the subject.

He cocked his head to the side as he kept looking at them for a second and then looked up and saw her smiling at him. This was his chance! He smiled back.

Her smile widened and she leaned closer a bit. His widened as well and he moved in response.

"I like it when you smile at me." She told him then.

"I like smiling at you." He answered.

The both kept smiling, not really knowing what to say but not really caring either. They both kept leaning forward too but they didn't notice until they finally made contact.

It wasn't much of a kiss, just lips pressed against each other, neither really moving.

They pulled back simultaneously, almost as if they had bounced off each other.

But they stayed close.

"You know, I have been waiting forever for you to do that" she told him rather matter of factly. Her eyes were half closed and had a slightly glazed look to them. Her color was heightened.

He figured he must look rather similar right now.

"Really? Then maybe I should do it again." He answered her conversationally.

She considered for a moment.

"Yes, I think you should." She agreed.

So he did.

Their mouths crashed together this time moving, licking, nibbling, sucking. Her hands moved of their own accord coming up and burying themselves in his hair at the back of his skull and holding him to her. His hands moved as well, one massaging her neck the other moving along her jaw and into her long pink hair.

Neither was really sure how long they were locked to each other over the table and an empty bottle of tequila, neither honestly cared.

This had been too long coming to spoil with timing.

Eventually, their initial frenzy calmed and they simply savored, the textures, the taste. Committing everything to memory for future reference, setting the bar from which to measure anyone else who came after.

Eventually they moved apart again.

"That was nice." They said together, still so in tune to each other that they were speaking in synch.

They sat back then, unsure of what to do now.

"I suppose we should get some sleep…" he said eventually. She nodded.

They stood, still a little wobbly from the alcohol and leaned on each other for balance as they made they're way shakily up the stairs.

He showed her to the spare bedroom and she paused at the doorstep and stared in then bit her lip. It was so cold and dark…so impersonal…like a cave.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice clearer but still revealing intoxication.

"Can I sleep in your room?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her for a moment.

"Sure." He said eventually and they went to his room.

He grabbed a pair of pajama pants from a drawer and went into the on-suite bathroom to change.

She frowned slightly to herself. She didn't have any pajamas. Then she shrugged. She'd just sleep in her underwear, no big deal. She stripped off her red dress, mesh top and shorts. Her chest was still heavily bandaged. She crawled into the bed.

It was large and very soft and she snuggled in. He came out of the bathroom and saw her in the bed and crawled in on the other side, lying down on his back. She snuggled up to his side and curled her arm around his chest.

His breathing stopped, hers slowed as she fell asleep almost immediately. He mentally shrugged as he closed his eyes and resumed breathing normally, they could sort this out in the morning.