Title: The Boy Guide

Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know. I haven't updated in years and I apologize. But for those of you that are still fans, here's the next installment. The update status for this and my other stories are written on my profile for those that are curious. Enjoy!

…

I pulled off my helmet to get a better view of the house. It looked completely amazing and white and crowded what with all of the people pouring in through the gates.

"And I thought your house was big..."

Sasuke swung off of the bike, putting his helmet on the seat. "My house is big, Sakura."

"Well yeah, but this place is ginormous!"

He rolled his eyes. "My house is bigger than this one. It really shouldn't overwhelm you."

"...Careful, Sasuke. Your ego is showing."

He gave me a deadpanned look.

I got off of his bike and placed my helmet next to his. Sasuke motioned towards the front gates with his head before walking off, hands in his pockets. I hurried to follow after him and soon we were among several of the other people that were making their way to the entrance.

The mansion only grew in size as we approached the wide double doors. They were propped open to accommodate the throng of party-goers.

We stepped inside and I froze, looking around at the large space.

There were people everywhere. A huge staircase was off to the left and led up to an even bigger looking second floor. There were a couple of hallways to the left, to the right, even straight back, and the sound of loud bass music was coming from one of them, but I couldn't tell which.

Someone bumped my shoulder, causing me to stumble. I hurriedly stepped to the side as I was about to get trampled by someone else who looked like he could be either a linebacker or a human/truck hybrid.

I pressed my back against the wall, tentatively placing my hands behind me. This was one of the reasons that I didn't want to come. Huge ragers like this were Ino's thing, I just tagged along and socialized with our mutual friends. Now, I was at a party way bigger than any of the ones I had ever been to and I didn't know anyone.

Something bumped my elbow and I looked to find Sasuke staring down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"You okay?"

I looked back at all of the unfamiliar faces. I couldn't tell Sasuke that I was intimidated. He would just think that I was stupid then, and I was finally in a sort of awkward I-respect-you-and-you-respect-me relationship with him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He scoffed, leaning against the wall next to me. "You're lying."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay, fine. I'm just not sure what to do."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. "What do you normally do at parties?"

I shrugged, saying, "I just hung out with my friends. But I don't know anyone here and this place is way bigger than anywhere I've ever been. You know, except for your house."

Sasuke smirked. "Then you shouldn't have a problem navigating. And you know Naruto and I."

"Yeah, but I would feel bad just following you guys around. It would feel like you're babysitting me or something."

"We invited you, Sakura. We're not just going to abandon you."

"Hello, Sasuke."

We both turned to see a girl standing in front of us. Her hair was very long and almost looked violet in the light. She also had pale, pupil-less eyes, something I had never seen before but looked oddly nice on her.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Hinata."

She smiled shyly, returning his nod before turning to me. "Hello, my name is Hinata Hyuuga."

I couldn't help smiling back at her. "Hi! I'm Sakura Haruno."

Hinata nodded again. "I know. Naruto told me that he and Sasuke were bringing someone with them. He said you live with Sasuke?"

I don't know why I was blushing, but I was. "Uhm, yeah. I'm staying with his family for a little while." I suddenly realized something. "Wait, Hyuuga? So, this is your home? And your party?"

She blushed and tugged nervously at the white sleeves of her blouse. "Yes, and yes. My father does things like this from time to time."

Her explanation made no sense to me, but I figured I wouldn't press for more details.

"Hey, guys! You made it!"

Naruto came bouncing up, stopping next to Hinata. Her face burned a bright red and she seemed to have trouble meeting his gaze.

I smiled. "Hey, Naruto."

He grinned, "You look great, Sakura!"

I laughed. His enthusiasm was contagious. "Thanks! You don't look half bad yourself."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and turned to Sasuke. "So, did you want to go say hi to Neji and the others?"

"Later." I saw Sasuke glance my way, but I wasn't exactly sure if I was supposed to notice or not.

"C'mon, Sasuke! You're always the party pooper!"

"Go see your friends," I said to Sasuke. "I think I'll hang out with Hinata. I like her already." I smiled at her and she returned the gesture.

"Well, I'm sure they would love to meet you too!" Naruto said to me. "Plus, me and Sasuke said we were going to look out for you, and we will!"

I lowered my head a little, suddenly feeling bashful. It really was sweet that they were both planning on staying with me, even if it meant not getting to really hang out with their friends.

"Guys, really. You don't have to follow me around. If I need you, I promise I'll come find you. And like I said, I'll be with Hinata."

She nodded. "Yes, I won't let her get lost."

Naruto grinned at her. "Thanks, Hinata! You're always super nice! And Sakura," He turned to me, holding out his phone. "Put your number in, that way I can come and find you if I need to!"

I smiled, taking his phone and punching my number into his contact list. I handed it back to him and he turned to Sasuke. "The guys are out back. Come on whenever you're ready."

Sasuke only scoffed and Naruto rolled his eyes and disappeared in the crowd of people.

"I was just going to meet a friend of mine in the kitchen. I would love to introduce you to her." Hinata said. I nodded and moved to follow her when Sasuke's hand touched my shoulder. I turned back to him and he held his own phone out to me.

"Give me your number." He gave no explanation as to why, but I got the idea. He may need to find me later and he was my ride home.

I took the device from him and repeated the number I had already entered into Naruto's phone before giving it back.

He stared at me for a moment before nodding to both me and Hinata. Then he left in the same direction as Naruto.

…

I followed Hinata down a few different hallways, dodging the other guests while trying to hear her speak. She was motioning to all of the different places we were passing, telling me which one was which. I really did like her.

"And this," she said. "Is the kitchen."

The room looked like it probably belonged in a five star restaurant rather than a house. This room, like all of the others, was filled to bursting with people.

"How do you know so many people?" I shouted the last word so that I would be heard over the cheers of people gathered around the kitchen island. Apparently, someone was making a pyramid out of soda cans. It really surprised and pleased me that no one seemed to be drinking any alcohol.

Hinata looked off to the side. "Actually, I don't. I only recognize a few people."

"Why were they invited if you don't know them?"

"My father likes events like this because it creates some publicity for himself as well as my other relatives. I only invited a few close friends, as did my cousin and my sister. Everyone else sort of just heard about it and decided to show up."

"I think they're a bunch of freeloaders, personally."

I turned to see a girl and a boy that looked to be about my age. The girl had a grin on her face and her hair tied up into two buns. The boy's hair was probably the brightest shade of red I had ever seen.

Hinata smiled at them. "Sakura, this is Tenten and Gaara."

I gave a small wave. "Hello."

"This is Sakura. She came here with Naruto and Sasuke."

Tenten raised her eyebrows at me. "Really? Wow! I understand you being a friend of Naruto's, but Sasuke? He rarely talks to anyone let alone women."

I shrugged, trying not to look as awkward as I felt. "Yeah, well, I'm actually kind of living with him at the moment."

Now both of them gave me bewildered looks.

"It's a long story."

Tenten recovered first. "I want to hear it as soon as I go grab another drink. You want one?"

"Yeah, thanks." I replied.

I watched her leave, catching Gaara's eyes as I did. I tried to smile.

He gave me a polite nod. "It's nice to meet you, Sakura."

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too."

Hinata said, "Tenten and Gaara are both friends of mine and my cousin, Neji."

Gaara mumbled, "She also happens to be dating Neji."

I laughed. "Well, Hinata, if they ever decide to get married you know that you like her."

She laughed and turned to Gaara. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He was with Naruto and Sasuke the last I saw."

"Are you friends with them too?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yes..."

"I hope you like Root Beer!" Tenten yelled over the crowd upon her return.

She tossed me the can and popped the top on her own.

"So, are you and Sasuke together or something?"

I choked and tried to play it off by clearing my throat. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn't working too well.

"No, we're not dating or anything like that."

"Oh? So, why are you living with him?"

"My parents wanted to move and I didn't. They're friends with the Uchihas and they offered to let me stay with them for a little while."

Tenten gave me a look of appraisal. "Damn, girl, look at you go! You're living with the Uchihas!"

Hinata giggled. "It is pretty impressive..."

I hoped I wasn't blushing. I put my focus on my drink, acting like my soul purpose in life was now popping the tab on the can.

"Seriously! I mean, I wouldn't even have the guts to do that!"

I looked up at Tenten. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, the Uchihas? That's a pretty intimidating line of people."

"They're really not that bad. Sasuke's mom is incredibly sweet and Itachi is super nice too. Fugaku hasn't really said much to me...and Sasuke and I had a...rough start. But now we're kind of friends I guess..."

My argument didn't convince me let alone the three people I was speaking to. Still, I felt the need to defend them. The Uchihas were gracious enough to welcome me, a stranger, into their home for an extended stay. The only bad thing about my new home was my rocky start with the youngest Uchiha, and even if I didn't exactly know where we stood now, it was still better than where we were in the beginning.

Luckily, Hinata came to my rescue. "I agree with Sakura. The Uchihas are a nice family."

Tenten held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, whatever, I believe you. Now, who wants to hit the dance floor?"

She was already walking down the hallway before any of us could answer her.

I motioned for Hinata to lead the way since I obviously had no clue where anything was. Gaara and I followed her down the hall.

I glanced over at Gaara and suddenly took notice of his shirt. It had the name of a high school in Suna written on it.

"Hey! You lived in Suna?"

He turned to me, a little surprised by my random comment.

"Yes. I moved here last year with my brother and sister."

I grinned. Finally, a kindred spirit.

"I used to live there too. You know, until I moved here."

Gaara smiled at me. "Do you miss it?"

"Yeah. Especially all of my friends. But Konoha is pretty nice too."

He nodded. "It is...there are a lot of things here that are very different from Suna."

I took a sip from my drink and shrugged. "I haven't really gotten a chance to see anything yet, what with moving in and all."

"I see...perhaps I'll have to show you around sometime."

I felt my cheeks flush. It was nice to meet so many friendly people like Hinata and Gaara. Especially since one of them shared my background and seemed like he maybe understood my difficult transition.

"Here we are."

I almost couldn't hear Hinata's quiet voice over the music. It looked like we were in a large den, but it had been converted into a dance floor with the addition of a stereo in the corner. All of the furniture was shoved against the walls.

I spotted Tenten waving at us with a free hand, the other one gripping the shoulder of her dance partner.

Judging by his white eyes and his hands on her waist, I was willing to bet that he was her boyfriend and Hinata's cousin.

I could feel the bass beating in my bones, shaking my frame with the rhythm of the catchy tune that was playing. I started bobbing my head and swinging my hips, getting into the song.

Tenten laughed and motioned us closer.

Hinata blushed bright red and Gaara didn't make any movement at all, so I took them by the arms and pulled them with me onto the dance floor.

It took a little coaxing, but they both started to sway along with me. Hinata laughed when I took her hands and started dancing with her.

We spun in a wide circle and I nearly ran into Gaara. He caught my shoulder just before we could collide and smirked at me.

"Easy there."

I laughed. "Dance with me?"

He placed a hand on my waist, pulling me closer as he moved into step with me.

Tenten whooped from a few feet away. "Go Sakura!"

Hinata laughed and bumped hips with me. I couldn't ever remember having this much fun at a party.

"Hey! Mind if I cut in?"

I turned to see Naruto standing at my shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

Gaara took a step back, graciously offering me up to Naruto. I smiled at him and he returned it before turning to exit.

Naruto quickly got into the rhythm.

"So, you met Gaara?"

"Yeah! He's really cool, and we're both from Suna!"

"Really? Sweet! It seems like he likes you."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just, he's kind of quiet. You know, like Sasuke. Except nicer."

Naruto shouted that last part off to the side and I turned in that direction. Sasuke was standing at the edge of the dance floor with his arms folded. His eye roll must've meant that he heard Naruto's comment.

I grinned and motioned him forward with my hand. He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Excuse me," I said to Naruto. He laughed as I maneuvered between the dancers, knowing exactly what I planned to do.

I stopped in front of Sasuke. "Dance with me."

He simply stared back at me. "I don't dance."

I was not prepared to take no for an answer, whether it made him angry or not. I grabbed hold of his wrists and pulled him towards the crowd. He could have very easily resisted my tugging, but he didn't and continued to let me drag him until I was back in the area near my new found friends.

It was a little awkward just standing there with him, but I forced myself to get back into the rhythm of the music.

I laughed and nudged his shoulder when he still wasn't moving.

"Come on. You can't tell me that Sasuke Uchiha is afraid of a little dancing."

Even over the volume I could hear him scoff. "Scared?"

"You heard me." I gave him a haughty expression, daring him to prove me wrong.

He surprised me when he gripped my hips with both hands and pulled me closer, easily swinging into the beat of the music.

I blushed and hoped that it would pass as heat from dancing in a space packed with people.

Sasuke smirked. "How's that for scared?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course he wouldn't turn down a challenge.

He was staring at me with those dark eyes of his, his hips swinging in time with mine and I could feel the temperature steadily rising with every movement.

Without really thinking about it I wrapped one arm around the back of his neck.

We were dancing, what more could it possibly be than that?

"Damn!"

I jumped a little when Naruto's voice hit my eardrums. Sasuke glared at him.

"Even with all of this noise you're still loud as hell."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort and I stepped back, letting Sasuke's hands fall away from me.

He watched me from the corner of his eyes as Naruto yelled some scathing comment.

I grappled for an excuse. "I'm going to go get a drink—it's hot in here."

I quickly ducked between people, the music and voices drowned out from the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

…

A few hours later I was standing with Hinata and Tenten who had found me soon after I had exited the den. Hinata complemented my dance moves. Tenten said I looked "smokin' hot dancing with Sasuke like that" and wiggled her eyebrows. I stared at anything but her.

Really, all I intended to do was have some fun and pull the ever anti-social Uchiha onto the dance floor. I had no idea it would turn me into a confused, blushing mess.

I shook my head, redirecting my attention to Tenten who was recounting some story about getting kicked out of a department store when I felt someone tap my shoulder.

It was Gaara.

He nodded. "Ladies."

Tenten paused to smile at him. "Hey, Gaara!"

He turned to Hinata. "I'm leaving now and just wanted to say thank you for inviting me. It was fun."

Hinata smiled. "Of course, anytime."

Then he turned to me. "Sakura, I wanted to know if I could have your phone number." He smirked. "In case you wanted that tour sometime."

I laughed wholeheartedly. Anyone else would have probably thought that Gaara was hitting on me, but I knew better.

"Yeah, sure." I rattled off my phone number to him as he pressed the numbers into his phone. I noticed Tenten doing the same.

"Sorry, Sak, but you're way too much fun for me not to have your number!"

We shared a laugh and waved goodbye to Gaara.

Not ten minutes later I felt my phone vibrating in my pocked. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. When I didn't recognize the number I opened up a new text message to read it.

Sakura, it's Sasuke. We need to leave.

I looked up at Tenten and Hinata. "Hey, it's time for me to go. This was a lot of fun."

They both smiled at me. "It was a pleasure to have you."

"Yeah, we need to get together and hang out again soon! I'll call you."

I grinned, making my way to the front doors. "Thanks! Bye!"

I whipped out my phone as I walked down the driveway.

Okay. I'm outside.

His reply was instantaneous.

I'm already at the bike.

I put my phone away and turned down the sidewalk.

A sudden panic came over me. The last time I saw Sasuke was a few hours ago after we were dancing and—

I wondered if it was too late to beg Tenten or Naruto for a ride home.

I stopped when I recognized the familiar motorcycle and it's rider.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at my frozen state. "I'll drive slower."

I walked forward on wobbly legs, glad that he took my reaction for another kind of fear.

…

We pulled to a stop just a few feet from the steps leading to the front door. I removed my arms from around Sasuke's waist as soon as I was able to without the fear of flying off the back of the bike.

Sasuke held his hand out for my helmet which I handed to him. He placed a set of keys in my fingers.

He motioned his head to the front door when I only offered him a confused look.

"You can go through the front door. I need to put the bike in the garage."

I nodded and backed up towards the steps. "Where should I put them when I'm in?"

"Just leave them on the living room table."

I turned to jog up the steps. As soon as I had the keys in the door I heard him call my name.

I looked at him from over my shoulder. He was staring at me.

"Thanks for the dance."

My face was undoubtedly red as a stuttered out a quiet, "You're welcome."

I flew through the door when he smirked at me.

…

Entry 2

Some boys are—surprisingly—very easy to get along with and are not confusing at all (namely one nice redhead named Gaara. He's from Suna too!).

Some boys are—unsurprisingly—very confusing (namely Sasuke who spends one day hating your guts and the next day doing a very sexy dance with you). Do they make cheat guides for this kind of stuff?

…

No, I have not forgotten about or given up on this story. I hope you enjoyed this!