Chapter 1 - NarutoXOuran High School Host Club

“I can’t believe it’s fall already!”

Sakura had made the declaration. It was a rare day for her- a day off. Tenten had joined, along with Hinata, for a walk around the Leaf Village. Ino had caught up a little later. When the foliage changed colors, and the leaves fell, the entire village changed. It was a rare beauty, and one the girls always tried to find time to appreciate.

Sakura led the way, a step ahead of the pack. Just behind her on the right was Tenten, with Ino to the left. Shy Hinata brought up the rear. Each kunoichi was dressed to her particular liking today. Sakura was wearing long black stockings, complimented by her normal skirt. Over her red vest was a pink jacket that matched her hair, and somehow complimented her eyes.

Tenten was less concerned with looks. Her normal attire sufficed, but she had thrown a light red and orange flak jacket over her vest. Ino, by contrast, had gone all-out, even letting her hair down for the day. She had taken the time to match her jacket with her everything down to her socks. She didn’t normally wear socks, but it WAS fall, after all.

Hinata hadn’t changed her look, as her jacket was perfect for the weather.

“Y’know Hinata, you might get that special boy’s attention if you flashed a little leg, ya know?” Ino ribbed, nudging Hinata.

“ ‘Cause it’s worked SO well for you, Ino?” Sakura shot back, knowing Hinata didn’t have any words ready to use to defend herself.

“You’re single, too, forehead!” Ino replied, adding a mature eye-lid pull to accent her feelings.

“Geez, you guys are so lucky! You don’t even have to try to get guys to look at you!” Tenten moaned. She had been woefully unlucky with the opposite gender. That was surprising. With two buns of hair drawn up cutely on either side of her head, and big, brown eyes, coupled with surprising strength, you’d think that she would be taken.

“Ten, you don’t even notice when boys pay attention to you! And besides, everyone thinks you and Neji are together!” Sakura explained, surprised to find that Tenten didn’t seem to know any of this.

“R-really? They think Neji and I are-” Tenten seemed at a loss for words.

“Duh! So did we, until you started complaining you were single!” Ino didn’t mince words, and showed it now.

“D-do you h-have any s-special?” Hinata questioned nervously, playing wit her fingers. Naruto…

“Hold that thought…how about this: We find one boy who is fair game, and we just see how he reacts to us? I mean, modesty aside, ALL of us look hot today!” Ino said, playfully spinning around, showing off her boots.

“That sounds fun, but who do we pick?” Sakura was wracking her brain, trying to think up some single guys that might make this fun. Naruto was too crude, Lee was too stiff and formal…then who? Then, it dawned on Sakura.

“I’ve got it- Ryouko Amakatsu!” Sakura exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

“TOO perfect, Sakura! We can have fun with that guy!”

“Now to find him…”

--

“There he is, girls. Target sighted!”

Ino was grinning like that cat that swallowed the canary, and with good reason. It was a well-known fact that Ryouko was one of the nicest guys in the village. He was a gentleman, and he wasn’t half bad looking. But it was ALSO common knowledge that he was horribly shy around kunoichi. Pathetically so, really. There was a rumor that he had expressed a desire to date a kunoichi, but no one seemed to know who, and only a couple people had been told by Ryouko himself.

“Alright. Now, how to get his attention…” Tenten said quietly, plotting. But Sakura had already stood up and walked over to Ryouko.

“She’s going first…alright, let’s see how she does…”

-

Ryouko looked at the stream, watching it flow peacefully. It would freeze over soon, so now was a good time to watch it and write it off as mediation. A form of training, Ryouko told himself so that he wouldn’t feel guilty.

“Hi Ryouko! I’m surprised to see you here!”

Ryouko raised his head, hearing a voice. It belonged to Sakura. Ryouko looked around- they were alone?! And Sakura looked really cute, wearing that skirt, with her cheeks reddened from the cold weather.

“Hi Sakura. Well, even study fanatics need a break, I guess. What brings you here?” Ryouko replied mechanically. Alone with a cute girl…alone…with a …cute…girl? Ryouko could count how many times that had happened to him in twenty years on his fingers!

“Oh, you know, just looking around. The Leaf Village is so pretty right now. The leaves are changing color, and you know winter’s coming. It’s such a beautiful time of year!”

“It is,” Ryouko said in return, blushing. He was already thinking of Valentine’s Day and White Day. Getting chocolate was as nerve-wracking as giving.

Sakura decided she couldn’t do this to Ryouko. He looks so innocent…just standing her, all by himself. He’s cute today, wearing that trench coat and dress uniform. He seems like such a pure soul…I feel like a heal…I know what I’ll do! Instead of messing with him, she would mess with the girls.

“Hey, Ryouko, listen. I’ve got to warn you…” Sakura whispered what the girls were doing. Ryouko turned redder and redder.

“I’ll go home and get ready, then! Please excuse me!” Ryouko bowed stiffly and almost ran. Sakura smirked to herself, then started to walk back over to the girls. She was playing two jokes at once- this was going to be fun.

-

The girls questioned Sakura as she returned, but she was strangely quiet on the issue.

Finally, Ryouko returned. But he was different- his headband was around his neck, and- whoa!

“Oh…my…God…what happened here? Yo-you’re…” Ino sputtered, looking at the others for support. But they were as dumbfounded as she was.

Ryouko was glowing, it seemed. His hair, normally combed in a plain pattern, was mussed stylishly. His mask was gone, and what was that on his face? A Smile?! Had hell frozen over?!

“Hello there! My, I seem to have stumbled into a group of angels. …! And you!” Ryouko grabbed Sakura’s hands, staring into her eyes. A pout had crossed his face, and even Sakura was stunned.

“Such a beautiful group of females shouldn’t be exposed to these beastly elements! Allow me to offer all of you shelter! But until then…You should stay close to me, to keep yourselves protected!”

Ryouko put his arm around each girl and pulled them in close, smiling, but somehow looking serious. Ino’s mouth had dropped open and stayed that way- Tenten was blinking a lot- Hinata was pushing her fingers together even faster and harder- Sakura was just gaping in shock.

“Ah, this way! I believe I know of a place where such gorgeous cherubs may seek shelter!”

--

Ryouko had led them inside to a teahouse. But this place- it was different. Chairs replaced cushions. There seemed to be an abundance of high-class items. But there were no waitresses. Only Shizune and Tsunade in a corner. (Shizune and Tsunade are in on the joke)

“Please, make yourselves comfortable, I’ll be right with you.”

The girls sat down, numb from shock.

“Is that Ryouko? THIS is the guy without a girlfriend? WHY THE HELL IS HE SINGLE?!” Ino asked, looking from member to member of his group.

“I don’t know. I guess he got over his shyness or something. I can’t believe- Oh my God. Look over there, quick!” Sakura pointed, her chair titling dangerously as she pointed. When the girls turned, their eyes went wide.

“No way!” Tenten managed to say. This scene defied scientific reasoning.

Ryouko was kneeling near Tsunade, holding her hand, smiling, then brining it to his lips and kissing it. Tsunade was blushing, and Shizune had transformed into a fangirl apparently. Even more when Ryouko was behind her, massaging her shoulders.

“Such lovely skin on such a beautiful creature! You really must come here more often and relax! Here is one place where you won’t have to do any more work than sit down and tell me what I can do for you.”

Shizune and Tsunade came down with a bad case of the giggles. Ryouko gave them both a warm smile, then apologized. “I have to go tend to the others. Please excuse me.”

-

Pop!

Ryouko was instantly at Ino’s feet, kneeling. He handed her some kind of red flower that he seemed to produce from the air. Ino took it, clearly surprised, to put it mildly.

“Flowing blond hair…such a rarity in our world. It goes hand in hand with a fun and outgoing personality…”

Next was Tenten.

“Beautiful brown eyes, and cute buns…I refer, of course, to your hair! I wouldn’t be so callous as to refer to your…well (charming chuckle) you understand…”

Hinata was up now, and already turning red.

“An ornate shyness that cannot camouflage a rare splendor…”

And Sakura. She might have set this up, but she wasn’t prepared after seeing this. Ryouko was so convincing! I’ve been reading too much Shojo manga! This is so…

“An exquisiteness, nearly beyond words. Such a darling female…”

Ryouko straightened, shedding his coat. The girls gasped- Ryouko wasn’t wearing ninja gear! No, even more shocking was the crisp black dress pants, white dress shirt, black tie with red stripes, and the flower in his pocket. That flower multiplied magically, it seemed, so each girl had one in her hand.

“Striking kunoichi such as you shouldn’t muddle around in the harshness of the oncoming winter! Allow me to provide you with a beverage that might restore some of your lost warmth…”

Ryouko put a hand on Sakura’s chin, holding it there for a long second, his eyes seeming to smile into hers. Then he swept away, into a back room.

-

“Uh, who IS winning our contest anyway?” Ino asked, still reeling from the shock.

“Ryouko is,” Tenten replied, blushing. This felt so strange, but so comfortable at the same time.

“You got THAT right!” Sakura replied. She snickered to herself- her joke was a success!

“Wait…Sakura, you said this is something out of a Shojo manga, didn’t you?” Ino said accusingly.

“What about it?” Sakura answered innocently, her hands cupped under her chin.

“You put him up to this to live out some fantasy, didn’t you?!” Ino demanded. “You were reading that mushy romance crap again!”

“Oh, and your datings sims are any better, ‘pig?” Sakura shot back. “Besides, admit it- you had fun with this. Ryouko playing a charming guy, catering to us like that.”

“Sh-she has a point…” Hinata squeeked.

“Yeah, this WAS fun! How do we get Neji to do this…” Tenten wondered, imagining Neji in Ryouko’s place.

“I’ll hand it to you, forehead. This WAS fun. You win the contest, you definitely had the most fun with him!”

Ryouko returned now, tea in hand. Sakura whispered to him, and he nodded. Ryouko set the tray down.

“I hope none of you were offended. It was all in good fun, I hope?” Ryouko asked hopefully. The girls nodded.

“We had fun! You’re really good at this, too! You don’t do this secretly at night, do you?” Tenten queried.

“No. It’s not my personality, really. But what could it hurt to let go for a couple hours and have fun, right?”

Now, unbeknownst to the others, Ino had cooked up a scheme of her own. She asked Tenten to come with her for a moment. When they came back, they both had ideas on how to repay the kindness of their friends.

“Mind/Body Transfer!” Ino called suddenly, hitting Sakura with her jutsu so quickly Sakura couldn’t counter. Inner-Sakura was even surprised, and therefore stifled. Tenten, for her part, had grabbed Ryouko and forced him into a chair, using a chain weighted with a kunai to tie him down.

Ino left Sakura’s body once Tenten had safely restrained her as well. With some help from an amused Tsunade and Shizune, the girls carried Ryouko and Sakura outside into the crisp weather.

“If you play Casanova, you’re going to get caught eventually! And here’s your punishment!” Ino dictated to Ryouko. Ryouko was, of course, blushing, and yet scared out of his mind- what were they going to do with him?

“And you- good joke, Sakura, I’ll give you that. But one good joke deserves another!”

“Guys? What are you-okay, joke’s over, right?” Sakura asked nervously, not liking this.

“NOPE!”

--

Tied up, out in the cold. This certainly sucked. Ryouko wasn’t disturbed. Since he was already humiliated, the day couldn’t get worse. He’d had some fun playing his role, too.

Sakura was cold, but trying not to shiver. The girls had been ‘thoughtful’ enough to add chakra to their chains, making them too hard to break. It was like they were waiting for something. That was apparent when Ino came out and talked to Ryouko. Sakura couldn’t here it, but Ino said “You know what you have to do to get her out of the cold, don’t you? You just got done playing Romeo- it’s obvious that forehead is your Juliet. Don’t try to fool us, just tell her! After she answers, she can come back in.”

Somewhere, deep down, Ryouko knew this had been coming. He had to muster up his courage, but he did.

“Sakura? Um, the stuff I said to you…I kind of…meant it…” Ryouko heard Sakura’s sound of surprise, so she had heard him. That was reason enough to continue. “I’ve kind of had this…crush on you for a while. I guess now would be a good time to admit it…I don’t know if you can accept my feelings or not, but I guess I want you to know they DO exist.”

-

“He said it…” Tenten sounded a little surprised by that.

“I knew he’d crack…it’s Ryouko’s weakness- he won’t leave a friend in distress. No matter what it means for him, he’ll protect that person over himself. But that was no bluff to get her out of the cold…”

“H-how do you know?” Hinata managed. Ino nodded toward Tsunade.

“Well, he and I have spent a good amount of time together. All the times he’s gotten in trouble, or in a fight, you know? Well, he lit up like a Christmas tree whenever Sakura was around. Eventually, he even told me that he had feelings for her. Ino, I should promote you for getting him to say that.”

Ino smirked. “Oh, his day isn’t over yet. I almost fell for him myself, with that charming act. He’s gotta pay…and Sakura cooked up this whole scheme. So I think that maybe forcing those two to show a little love toward each other is in order…Lady Tsunade, would you help me with this?”

--

Ryouko waited for Sakura to answer. It was taking a while. Ryouko kind of wanted to fall right now. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d hit his head and black out for a while…

“Okay, you two. That was a nice confession, Ryouko. Now you, Sakura. Go on…” Tsunade prompted, as Tenten hauled Ryouko and Sakura to their feet. Their hands and legs were still tied together, so there was no escape.

Sakura’s cheeks turned pink, making her look even cuter in Ryouko’s eyes.

“Well, Ryouko, I…I accept!” Sakura blurted out. (‘I accept’ as in ‘I accept your feelings’-neither one can say the ‘L’ word yet, apparently)

“Good. Now, time for you two to seal the deal!” Ino announced happily. Tsunade pushed Sakura forward, while Tenten shoved Ryouko from behind. They fell into each other, their faces inches apart.

“You know what you have to do for us to untie you…” Ino prompted. “Don’t make us push you into that, too!”

Neither one seemed to be able to make the first move. Finally, Ryouko got a surge of courage and planted a kiss on Sakura’s cheek.

“Oh brother! What are you, in grade school?!” Ino shouted. “You idiot! You’ve got a cute girl, trapped helplessly in front of you, and you’re in love with her! So you kiss her on the cheek?! What kind of guy are you?!”

Ryouko wanted to say ‘I’ll kiss you if it’ll shut you up!’, but his mouth was suddenly occupied. Sakura had leaned forward a little more and met his lips, just as they were parting to threaten Ino.

Perfect timing.

-

AUTHOR’S NOTE: NOT SURE WHY I WROTE THIS, OR WHERE IT CAME FROM. IT JUST SEEMED UNLIKE ME TO WRITE A STRAIGHT-UP ROMANCE STORY. I MEAN, NO FIGHTS, AND MY LOSER OF DIDN’T GET HIT WITH SOME JUTSU, AND DIDN’T SACRIFICE HIMSELF, OR USE SOME LIFE-THREATENING JUTSU! HUH! OH WELL, HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT! THERE’LL BE PLENTY OF VIOLENCE TO MAKE UP FOR THIS ONE IN MY OTHER STORIES!

-NG

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment