Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! My last computer (the one I had this chapter halfway written on) crashed a little while ago, and I've been focused on my story Strength within Myself. Please forgive me, and enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 10: Sasuke Tries to Fights Back

Sakura was surprised to find herself talking amicably with Sasuke as dinner started. If she had thought they would be talking nicely an hour ago, she would have thought she was crazy. After everything that he had done to her in the past few days: coming on the mission, starting their hotel room on fire, annoying the crap out of her… Now though, Sakura was impressed and actually interested in the discussion Sasuke had started.

"So you're saying when you activate your sharingan you always get a twitch of pain in the back of your eyes?" Sakura asked as her mind began to reel at the different causes of the pain and ways to alleviate it. She had not been able to work with the sharingan yet, but she had always been curious about it.

"Aa," Sasuke said with a nod as he eyed the tomato salad that was placed in front of them. The hostess had been very happy to see them at the dining room (obviously she hadn't seen the destruction Sasuke's fireball jutsu had caused yet). "It has always happened since I gained the second tomoe… It is more apparent now though."

"Does Kakashi experience the same thing then?" Sakura asked, because she really couldn't stop her curiosity. She heard Shikamaru's loud sigh, and knew he thought the conversation was boring, but she ignored it.

There were only two sharingan users left in the whole world, and they were both on Sakura's team. If she could alleviate some of the pain that the sharingan caused the two, then she would be able to better help Konoha… it also didn't help that the idea of working with a doujutsu fascinated her beyond belief; Neji's byakugan wasn't even as complex as the sharingan.

"He does," Sasuke affirmed as he ate a tomato and kept his eyes on her. Sakura heard another snort from Shikamaru, but it didn't deter Sasuke's stare any. Was it her, or was he trying to ignore Shikamaru? That would probably benefit everyone if that happened. "Though, his pain is more severe and causes him intense headaches."

"Hmm," Sakura thought as her mind flew through different ways she could help her teammates. It was obvious that when the sharingan gained another tomoe its strength grew exponentially. Now that Sasuke had killed his brother, Sakura was curious as to what level his sharingan was at… it must have caused a great deal of stress to his eyes. "… How is your eye sight? Has it deteriorated at all?"

"… Hn," Sasuke said, and his quiet was enough of an answer for her.

"I'll check your eyes after dinner," Sakura said with a tone of finality, because she wouldn't let him give her a no for an answer. Because really, she wouldn't let Sasuke walk around blind if she could help it.

"… Okay," Sasuke said with a mild sigh. At Sasuke's deflated sigh, Sakura heard Shikamaru snort from across the table. Turning, she gave Shikamaru a questioning stare, because really, she could hear amusement in that snort.

"What was that Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, because even though she wasn't a hundred percent sure, she thought Shikamaru was laughing at Sasuke. "You're not making fun of Sasuke, are you?"

"Me?" Shikamaru's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Of course not Sakura-Chan… I just find it a little ironic that Sasuke here is going blind."

"It's not nice to make fun of him Shika," Sakura said with a frown. She sent the brunette a stern look before turning her attention back to Sasuke. "I'm glad he at least tells me when something is wrong… unlike someone I know."

"He didn't tell you!" Shikamaru said with a slight pout. "You had to catch him reading a book on eye stuff, and you just guessed about his eye sight."

"…" Shikamaru kind of had her there. Well, it just seemed like Sasuke was being more agreeable than Shikamaru usually was. "But he's letting me check over his eyes without me having to do too much nagging."

"Aa," Sasuke said helpfully. Sasuke looked a little smug at her statement, and the look caused Shikamaru's eyebrows to rise.

"You like to nag," Shikamaru fought back easily as he turned his gaze to Sakura. "So I like to give you a chance to do it."

"You're an idiot," Sakura said with a shake of her head; Sakura still couldn't stop the grin from spreading over her face. "I don't like to nag."

"It's like your favorite pass time," Shikamaru said as he eyed the tomato salad in disgust. "You can even ask Neji about it when we get back to Konoha."

"I'm not going to ask Neji," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "You and Neji always blow things out of proportion when you're together."

"… Like Sai and Naruto," Sasuke said with a slight sigh as he shot Sakura a look of understanding. "Their antics get out of hand rather quickly."

"Ugh," Sakura said as she flicked her fork around her salad. "I can't even imagine how bad those two can be… throw in Kakashi and you with them and I think it would be a nightmare."

Sasuke snorted before nodding his head in agreement. Thinking back to how bad Sasuke and Naruto were when they were genin was bad enough, Sakura didn't even want to begin to think about what they could do now as grown men. "I'm sure you and Naruto are awful together."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he ate another one of his tomatoes. "It can get pretty bad sometimes…"

"I bet Neji and my antics are way more to handle than yours and Naruto's," Shikamaru said confidentially as he sent Sasuke a challenging look.

"Really?" Sasuke asked in a challenging tone. Oh no… Sakura could feel the tension rise between the two.

Taking his chopsticks in to his hands easily, Shikamaru didn't even look up as he flicked one of the tomatoes from his salad across the table. Sakura was surprised at the speed and accuracy of the tomato, but Sasuke didn't seem to be, because he caught it easily, with his mouth.

"I just… I just don't even know how to take you two right now," Sakura said with a repressed sigh. Was this what babysitting felt like? If it was, Sakura wasn't going to sign up for babysitting duties any time soon. She was also rethinking having children when she was older too…

"And now we have the main course," the hostess said as she walked into the room. Sakura almost felt pity as the hostess looked at Shikamaru and Sasuke with something akin to wonder in her old eyes. Of course she was next to two attractive, powerful shinobi, but the two were acting so immature. It didn't help that Sakura was fairly immune to their charms by now.

"If you need anything else," the Hostess said with a pleasant smile. "Please let me know!"

"She's rather helpful," Sakura said with a sigh as she looked to the platter of food in front of her. Her comment appeared to be ignored, though, because Sasuke and Shikamaru were currently piling a ridiculous amount of food on top of their own plates. She could tell by the look in their eye that this was going to be some type of contest… Sakura really didn't want to deal with it.

"… I'm not going to help either of you if you choke," she warned them before she grabbed a couple rice balls Sasuke and Shikamaru hadn't managed to steal yet. Sakura had dealt with enough men to realize this was some type of testosterone battle, and that she was best to just let them be.

Part of her really did hope that the two idiots choked and realized how stupid they were being. Sighing, Sakura shook her head at that thought; she really didn't want either of them to hurt themselves no matter how immature they were acting.

Which really shouldn't surprise her, Sakura mused as Shikamaru and Sasuke shoved mouthful after mouthful of food into their mouths. The two were glaring at each other intently, and it was almost like she wasn't even there.

Taking another bite of her rice ball, Sakura decided to excuse herself. She silently got up from the table and started to head back to their room. Neither Sasuke nor Shikamaru said anything as she left; she doubted they even knew she had left.

It looks like Sakura was sleeping alone tonight, she mused with a slight frown. She just hoped Sasuke and Shikamaru didn't destroy the rest of their hotel room while she was sleeping… She hoped they didn't kill each other either, too.

XxxX

Sakura sighed before snuggling deeper into the blankets. Last night she had gotten some of the best sleep she had ever had. The bed was plush and held warm blankets, and Sakura had literally slept like a log. Sakura was sure she was going to have to ask the Hotel manager where she had gotten such a comfortable bed.

On another good note, she didn't even hear Sasuke or Shikamaru last night. That either meant they were no longer fighting, she had literally slept so well she didn't hear them fighting, or that they both were dead. Sakura wasn't sure which one she'd prefer at the moment…

Sakura suppressed a snort at that thought. Of course she knew which she'd prefer, but she really doubted the two numbskulls could get along. There was just something about Shikamaru that seemed to piss Sasuke off, and Shikamaru knew it. That was probably the worst thing that could happen for Sasuke, because Shikamaru found it fun to piss everyone off.

Sakura grumbled thinking about the two; she'd probably have to go check on them soon. Not that she really wanted to… She'd do it in another hour. They didn't have to leave at a specific time to leave for the mission they were on, so Sakura was going to milk this bed for all it was worth.

The more alone time she got, the better, Sakura thought as she flipped her body over. Sakura was trying to find a comfortable position again (which really wasn't hard to do) when an arm wrapped itself around her torso and pressed her back into a tight, warm body.

"Mphmp?" Sakura muttered in question as she felt the arm tighten around her. Opening her sleep-glazed eyes, Sakura looked over her shoulder and noticed Sasuke was the one who was holding her.

"Hn," Sasuke muttered, in what appeared to be his sleep. Sakura turned back around to snuggle back into the blankets. Sasuke was just so warm, and his arms were wrapped so tightly around her she just couldn't-

"WHAT?!" Sakura screeched out when she realized who it was that was snuggled up against her. Sakura's scream caused Sasuke's body to lurch upward and he ended up toppling out of the bed. "What are you doing here Sasuke?!"

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked as he blinked his eyes blearily. Sakura almost felt bad for how tired he looked, but that was only almost.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said while pointing an accusing finger at him. "I told you last night that you were going to sleep on the couch! I even put up seals on the door so you and Shikamaru couldn't come in."

"Sakura?" Sasuke looked confused from his spot on the ground. If she wasn't so horrified she'd find the look on his face to be adorable. "I don't even remember coming in here last night… Did I really?"

"Yes you really did," Sakura said as she self-consciously pulled up the sheet. She wasn't indecent by any means, but that didn't mean she wanted Sasuke to see her in just a tank top and underwear. "When did you come in here last night?"

"I don't remember Sakura," Sasuke said with a sigh as he slowly started to get up from his position on the ground. Sakura's cheeks blushed slightly at seeing his scantily clad body. She had already seen him shirtless when she had healed him in the hospital, but that wasn't stopping her body's reaction from seeing him in only his boxers; Kami did Sasuke have some nice abs…

"Get out!" Sakura yelled as her hands went to her cheeks, which were slowly getting redder by the minute. "I need to change, and so do you!"

"Sakura, let's try to figure out what happened," Sasuke said while he tried to take a step closer to her. Sakura shook her head quickly before glaring at Sasuke.

"OUT!" Sakura yelled as she pointed a finger toward the door.

Sasuke sighed but headed out the door without any more argument. Just as Sakura was trying to lay her head back down on her pillow to try to contemplate what happened, she heard a knock on her door.

"Sakura?" Shikamaru's sleepy voice questioned from outside the room. He knew better than to come into the room without identifying himself when she was mad at someone; he had learned that lesson the second day of them living together.

"What?" Sakura asked still slightly mortified about what had happened. She had been snuggled up with a half-naked Sasuke, and she had felt incredibly comfy in his arms. His strong arms being wrapped around her body was not something she wanted to dwell on, how he got into the room on the other hand…

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked while he snuck into the room. Sakura groaned at her nosey roommate, and hid herself beneath the covers. "… If you don't tell me I'm going to steal your covers."

"You wouldn't dare," Sakura accused as she hid beneath her pillow. How did she not wake up from Sasuke sneaking into her bed? She was a ninja for Kami's sake, she was trained to wake up at the smallest hint of noise.

And if he was so quiet, she should have definitely had woken up from feeling him dispel the seals she had put on the doors… Kami, why the hell hadn't she been more aware of things last night? She was in a place that wasn't her home, so she should have been extra aware of her surroundings… What the hell happened last night?

She remembered leaving the boys to their food eating contest back in the dining hall, and then she had come back to the room to sleep. She had done everything she typically did when getting ready for bed: shower, brush teeth, comb hair, pajamas, and tea. Those were her nightly routines that never changed; everyone knew that about her.

Maybe she was just tired, Sakura thought with a frown as she heard Shikamaru step near the end of her bed. "If you take my covers Shikamaru, I swear to Kami-"

Her words were cut off as the blanket was ripped off of her body. Sakura could only let out a squawk in protest before the blanket was thrown across the room, and her body was left to the icy cold elements of her hotel room.

Sakura immediately sat up in her bed and sent an even icier glare toward her roommate.

"Sakura," Shikamaru said with a sigh as he joined her on the bed… really, he knew this was dangerous territory. Sakura wasn't a morning person, and he knew that. "Why was Sasuke in here? And why were you both half naked?"

Shikamaru's eyes sparkled as he asked the next question. "Did something happen?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh something totally happen-"

"Nothing happened!" Sakura said as she stood up from bed. She started to pace (Shikamaru saw it more as a stomp) around the room. "I went to bed last night and slept really well. When I woke up Sasuke was in bed with me."

"And you didn't murder him?" Shikamaru's eyebrow was raised even higher. Sakura ignored the look as she closed the door to the room and threw the covers from her blanket back at Shikamaru.

"I don't even know what happened," Sakura said with a great bit of frustration. "He said he doesn't know what happened either… Kami I put up seals last night to keep you assholes out, and somehow he's able to break through them with no problem. He doesn't even know what type of seals I usually use! How could he have guessed the exact seal?"

"… The seal you use is actually pretty common," Shikamaru said with a nonchalant shrug. It was Sakura's turn to raise her eyebrow at her roommate.

"No it's not," Sakura said as she took a step closer to the bed. "It's a seal I found in one of Jiraiya-sama's old books a couple of months ago… You and Tsunade are the only two who knew about it…"

It was Shikamaru's turn to hide under the blanket.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO SHIKAMARU!?" Sakura yelled as she gripped the covers and ripped them off of him. Shikamaru's only defense was to curl up into a small ball and hope she'd be merciful. Knowing Sakura, Shikamaru knew she wouldn't be.

"Oh my Kami," Sakura said as her eyes shone in understanding. She continued to pace (stomp) around the room as she raged at Shikamaru. "What did you do, Shikamaru? You couldn't have put a genjutsu over me let alone Sasuke, so that's out… Did you sedate me? Did you sedate Sasuke? You had to use your shadow jutsu to bring him in here? You did, didn't you? What the hell would possess you to put Sasuke into my bed?! Especially when he's half clothed? Shikamaru, answer me!"

"…" She really knew him all too well.

"Shikamaru Nara," Sakura spoke in a deadly tone. "If you ever want me to make you food again you will talk to me damn it."

"Well," Shikamaru drawled, or he at least tried to make it like he did. Sakura could see the fear in his eyes at not getting any more of her cooking. "I wanted to see what would happen, Sakura."

"Explain," Sakura said in a voice that allowed no argument.

"It's obvious you and Sasuke both have a physical attraction towards each other, Sakura," Shikamaru said with a slight grin as her mouth dropped open. She was about to speak when Shikamaru cut her off.

"Think about it Sakura," Shikamaru said as he leaned against the headboard of the bed. "Remember your reaction to Sasuke on the night of the monthly outing? And we don't even need to mention your attraction to him when you were a prepubescent teen do we?"

Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still shook her head. "That was a long time ago Shika," Sakura said. "And their appearances at the bar just shocked me, that's all… And there's no way Sasuke is attracted to me."

"Your whole team is," Shikamaru told her with a snort. "You're a complete idiot if you can't see that. Why else do you think Sasuke would come on this mission with you?"

"… I still don't believe you," Sakura said as she grabbed her pack from the end of her bed. She started to head toward the bathroom, but stopped and looked over her shoulder first. "And don't think I will just ignore the fact that you sedated me Shikamaru… We're going to have a few more words after I get done with this shower."

Shikamaru could feel the dread swell within his belly already. All this matchmaking business was troublesome.