Chapter 31

-Sakura's POV-

Ino brushed a comb through my hair before going back to evening out the ends at my shoulders. The girl had walked into the kitchen earlier this morning and saw Temari cutting Kankuro's hair and decided everyone needed one so the two blond's got to work.

She wasn't wrong. No one's really had a haircut in a long time so it was way overdue, especially for the boys. Most of them were either always wearing beanies or had their hair pushed messily out of their faces.

I wanted to help, but have never cut anyone's hair except for my own the first night we arrived in Oto and Ino roasted me for my lack of skill. I've just been throwing it up in a messy bun anyway, so I hadn't paid much attention to it.

"You're all done! Send someone else in!" I brushed some snippets of hair off my shoulders before getting up and walking out to the family room as I pulled my sweater back on over my head.

Only a few people had been done so far, so I just wordlessly motioned to the remaining group that someone else could go in. Naruto jumped up, having been the one who's complained the most about having long hair.

Since everyone was healthy enough to travel, it was decided that we'd leave for Konoha in two days' time. I headed into the study to help Konohamaru and Hinata prepare everyone's bags for our approaching departure.

The two had already gotten their hair cut and it was refreshing to see Hinata's bangs back to how she usually liked to keep them. It suited her cute face so much better. They were speaking casually about the high school they went to, pausing only to greet me before resuming.

I went to the section of the room with medical supplies and continued where I left off with making first aid kits with a little bit of everything in each. Before we'd started dividing everything out, it looked like we had way too much to bring along, but when you split everything into fifteen equal shares it wasn't actually that much.

Kankuro, Gaara, Kiba, and Matsuri planned to head out first thing tomorrow morning to head into the business district of Oto in search of vehicles. They'll be gone for at least twenty four hours because they have to travel by foot on the way there and Oto's almost as big as Konoha.

Kankuro and Gaara were going to go alone, but asked Matsuri to come along when they realized we'd need at least three vehicles now that we had two more additions to our party. Everyone was still worried it was too risky, so Kiba offered to tag along so they could use his heightened senses to detect any danger. They'll be taking two of the handguns with them, leaving two with the rest of us.

I couldn't help but worry, especially about Matsuri because she's so small and wasn't the most skilled fighter. She's really agile, but if she gets caught, it's easy for her to get injured. Just yesterday, Kankuro accidentally crushed her and he hadn't even been trying to.

"They'll be alright, Sakura."

My eyes widened as Hinata's timid voice reassured me from nearby. I looked over at her with a sheepish grin, "Am I that easy to read?"

She and Konohamaru both smiled, "It's easy to guess. I'm a bit worried, too, but Gaara and Kiba won't let anything bad happen."

"Kankuro will likely be the biggest issue they have to deal with, huh?"

A small laugh left my mouth and I nodded, remembering how often Matsuri and Kankuro butt heads, "You're probably right."

We went back to work, casually talking about whatever topic arose until, finally, the travel packs were complete. Just as I zipped up the last large backpack, Ino rushed into the room, "Sakura, Hinata, get your shoes and coat on and come with me!" Her voice was barely above a whisper and she had an excited expression on her face.

Konohamaru looked a bit uncomfortable and the blond rolled her eyes, "You come, too, kid!"

Sneaking as though trying to hide from everyone else that we were going outside, the four of us got our winter gear and slid out the front door. Once we'd gotten down the road a bit from the house without being noticed, I finally asked, "Where are we going and why are we sneaking?"

Ino grinned mischievously, "I'm taking you to my secret hideout!"

I snickered, "Lame."

She tutted at me, "Don't say that until you see it!"

Hinata and I shared an unsure glance before letting her guide us to the house closest to the one we've been staying in. It was down the road a bit by maybe a block. She looked around to check that no one was looking before pushing the window to the right of the front door open and gesturing for us to climb in ahead of her.

I grumbled at her once it was my turn, "This had better not be a prank."

"Just get in."

With a glare in her direction, I wordlessly obeyed and climbed in, turning to see her follow behind me and close the window once she was inside. When I turned to look around, I froze for a moment before letting out a groan, "No. Absolutely not."

Hinata and Konohamaru knelt down in front of the coffee table in the big living room where dozens of glass bottles with a variety of liquors and alcohols lay in wait.

Ino laughed loudly, "Oh come on! This is the last night we can possibly party before we have to go back to sleeping in the cold and staying alert twenty-four seven. Why not have a little fun while we have the chance?"

Hinata picked up one of the bottles to read the label, surprising us all when she spoke in a slightly embarrassed voice, "I've never drank alcohol before. I wouldn't mind trying it."

Ino grinned, giving me a look of victory, "If Hinata's willing to get drunk, then you have to, too!"

I gave her a pleading look as I spoke in a slightly quieter voice, "You know I don't like drinking around others."

She mocked a pout in my direction, "I do, but I still don't get why. You're so fun when you're drunk!" My best friend put her hands together in a pleading way and got on her knees in front of me while giving me puppy eyes, "C'mon, Saku, please! Let's have some fun!"

My annoyance rose with each passing second, but I still couldn't refuse her and ended up letting out a defeated sigh. She let out a cheer before I could even say a word and jumped to her feet to grab as many bottles as she could carry. We all followed her lead and moved her secret stash over to the house where everyone else was at.

As soon as we came through the door, Kankuro and Tenten cheered and came to help us. Once we were able to get out of our heavy winter gear, we joined everyone in the dining room. Shikamaru, Sai, and Kiba double checked that all of the windows and doors were firmly barricaded so no one could get in before Ino broke the tension by picking up a bottle of tequila and taking a swig of it. I glared at her in disgust.

Back in highschool, she used to drag me along to parties all the time. It took a long time for her to convince me to drink with her and the one time that I did, I got so drunk I couldn't remember anything the next day. Ino swore I didn't do anything bad and nothing crazy happened, but I still couldn't stand the fact that I didn't know for sure so ever since then I've only ever drank at my or her house when it was just the two of us.

Everyone kind of relaxed and the vibe in the room was very casual. The table was moved to the side of the room so we could sit in a big circle like we used to in the bunks back during The Program. Ino sat on my left and Sasuke sat on my right, Hinata on his other side and Sai on Ino's other side.

For a while, I was able to sink into the background a bit so no one noticed that I wasn't partaking, but then Ino handed me the tequila bottle in her hands so she could turn back towards Sai to continue talking.

I looked down at the large bottle with a frown. The only reason I'd been so upset that I couldn't remember anything the morning after the party I'd gotten wasted at was because it was at a stranger's house and Ino had been the only person I knew there. That's not the case right now. When I thought about the people in this room, I couldn't picture a single one of them taking advantage of a drunk girl, not even Kankuro. Sure, he doesn't know when to stop flirting, but we all knew deep down that he had lines he wouldn't cross.

So, with a disgusted groan, I tilted my head back and took a big swig of the awful drink. It burnt my throat as it went down and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as I glared down at the bottle in my hands once more. It was suddenly pulled from my grasp and I looked over at Sasuke in surprise as he took a drink, eyes not leaving mine in the process. My face warmed slightly when he handed it back to me and I awkwardly looked at the ground again as I leaned over slightly to brush my shoulder against his.

Ever since we did some stuff in the bath two days ago, we haven't had the chance to be alone so nothing else has happened. It was incredibly awkward at first, learning how to pleasure him with my hands, but I'd eventually gotten the hang of it and felt kind of proud that I was able to make him feel good like he had me.

Now that the heat of the moment had passed, though, I wasn't sure how to act. I've never experienced a situation like this where I have to look someone in the eye and act normal after they've seen and touched places on my body that no one else has.

The blush on my face just kept getting warmer as I stressed about it and I took another large drink before handing it over so he could follow suit. The room was warm with chatter and I just took in the atmosphere as I accepted the bottle back.

Matsuri was yelling at Kankuro on the other side of our large circle because he tried to put an arm around her waist, while Gaara listened with a calm expression. Hinata and Naruto were talking with Konohamaru and Kiba. Shikamaru, Temari, Sai, and Ino were having a conversation. Tenten was flirting heavily with a red-faced Neji, who wasn't stopping her, but still looked annoyed.

That left me and Sasuke sitting there in silence.

I noticed that everyone looked so much better now that haircuts had been given out. We didn't look like a bunch of homeless people anymore. My spine straightened as I turned my head to look over at Sasuke. His hair had been so long that it kept falling into his face all the time, but now it looked exactly how it had the first time I ever saw him.

He noticed me checking him out and met my eye with a barely noticeable smirk. I looked away, embarrassed, and took another swig. He drank, too.

"Just relax. I don't know why you're being so awkward about it," he suddenly spoke in a quiet voice.

My eyes widened and I made a shushing noise as I moved closer so he could hear me more easily, "S-Shut up! Someone will hear!"

He gestured around us, eyes glancing about the room for a moment before returning to mine, "Everyone's distracted. It's fine."

I glared at him, speaking as I raised the bottle to my lips again, "Still, someone could accidentally eavesdrop."

He took his turn to drink before leaning even closer to whisper in a teasing manner, "You know at least Kiba had to have heard, right? You did make quite a bit of noise."

I tore the bottle from his grasp and pointed it at him with a glare, "You're on thin ice, buddy."

He snickered, "What's wrong? I thought it was pretty hot! I'm sure he did, too. Let's ask him."

As if he'd been listening the entire time, and he honestly might have, Kiba glanced over at us with a slight red tint to his face, but I couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or what the Uchiha man had just said.

I grabbed onto Sasuke's arm and held it in between mine as I hissed with a bright red face, "S-Sasuke! Shut the hell up!"

He laughed again, motioning for me to drink. I did before handing the bottle over. A warmth was rising in my body that I recognized as the effect of the tequila he and I were drinking rather quickly.

After a few moments of silence, his arm flexed in my hands and I looked over to see him giving me a warm look, "I didn't take you for the type to drink."

I shook my head, bravely letting my cheek press against his arm as I leaned against him again, "I don't mind it, usually. As long as I'm somewhere safe."

A happy feeling flowed over to me from him and I let out a small laugh. He liked that I'd insinuated I felt safe near him. It was true that I trusted him completely now. Over the past week or two, we went from awkward acquaintances that knew way too much about one another's personal lives to friends who actually cared about and respected one another.

I'm not sure to what extent he cares about me, but I've come to see him as someone special. If he was in potential danger, I'd be extremely worried and if he was experiencing something good, it made me happy.

I went to take another drink, only to freeze when I realized the bottle was empty. It'd been over halfway full when we started. Ino turned to reach for it, only to do a double take and laugh loudly, "Damn, you two! It's not a race!" A giggle slid past my lips and I raised a hand to cover my mouth when she and Sai gave us amused looks.

"Who wants to play Spin The Bottle!" We all looked up to see Kankuro holding up an empty wine bottle. Most of us made annoyed remarks, but no one refused. I didn't want to play, but no one else chickened out and I didn't want to be the only one so I had no choice but to pray it never landed on me.

Our group's circle got a bit tighter and I looked around with a blush on my face. The alcohol was really starting to kick in because my anxiety was almost completely gone, leaving me feeling a bit giggly.

"How about the youngest starts? Konohamaru, go ahead!"

He's sixteen, a legal adult in Konoha, so luckily no one was underage or this kind of game would be incredibly inappropriate. The boy's face was as red as Hinata's often got, but he wordlessly spinned the bottle, only for it to land on Temari. He, understandably, looked terrified. Of all the women here, she was easily the most intimidating.

Kankuro and Shikamaru both laughed loudly as the younger male's face paled when Temari crawled forward onto her hands and knees to meet him halfway in the middle of the circle for a quick peck of a kiss. Konohamaru came back to his spot in between Naruto and Kiba with a mortified expression.

A giggle slid past my lips and I noticed Ino glance over at me. She snickered and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer against her side as she spoke softly so as not to draw too much attention, "You're so cute when you're drunk, Saku." I was annoyed with her, still, but wrapped my arms around her waist to hug her back.

Temari spun the bottle, since it was her turn now, and it landed on Matsuri. The small girl's face was akin to Konohamaru's, but she wordlessly accepted a kiss from the Subaku woman.

Kankuro groaned, "Why couldn't it have been a girl that isn't my sister?" Most of us laughed at his traumatized expression, me included.

Matsuri spun the bottle and it landed on Kankuro, making the room go silent. My eyes widened in anticipation. Those two don't get along that well, so the air suddenly got tense. Ino's arm tightened around me as she undoubtedly felt just as excited to see what was going to happen.