Testing Fate: A MadaSaku Love Story

Chapter 9

Days passed, and days turned into a week, and then Sakura realized she hadn't spoken to Madara in person since the day she moved out of his apartment and back into her own. They texted regularly, but it wasn't the same. There were a couple of nights when she was staying over there that they stayed awake much too late, talking about everything from their favorite music and TV shows to what they thought happened after death.

It was Friday night, just after eight, when Sakura returned home from work. She was picking up extra hours to pay for the new TV she intended to purchase. As she absently unlocked the door to her unit with one hand, the other pulled up Madara's contact information, planning to ask him if he wanted to do anything tonight.

When she pushed the door open, a shrill scream left her lips, and she nearly dropped her phone, fumbling to catch it so it wouldn't break.

"Surprise! Did you miss me?"

In the hallway stood none other than Ino Yamanaka. The fashion major was the image of beauty in a dark blue mini-dress that hugged her body like a sticker on a piece of paper. White stilettos added at least four inches to the already modelesque woman's height.

Sakura's face got hot, and she threw her keys at the girl angrily, "You bitch! Were you trying to give me a heart attack!"

Ino dodged easily and opened her mouth to sarcastically retort, only for her lips to reseal and her eyes to widen. The pink-haired woman gave her friend a confused look before realizing she wasn't looking at her but behind her.

Then she turned to figure out what her problem was, only to jump in shock, bringing a hand to her chest to steady her pounding heart, "Oh, God, Madara! Don't do that!" She gingerly elbowed his stomach but not hard enough to actually hurt him.

His dark eyes looked her up and down much more attentively than she'd expected in such a casual scenario.

A blush met her cheeks, and she gave him a covert confused look, "Um, this is my friend Ino. I told you about her, remember?"

The tension in the tall man's shoulders relaxed slightly as realization dawned on his face, and he turned his gaze onto the uncharacteristically quiet blond in her entryway. Sakura looked at her, making a face that urged her to move past what'd just happened so things wouldn't get awkward.

Ino smiled charmingly, stepping forward with her hand outreached, "I'm Ino Yamanaka: future fashion icon and Sakura's best friend. A pleasure to meet you, handsome!"

Sakura's brow twitched at her friend's unfiltered flirting but stepped aside when Madara reached around her to shake the woman's hand, "Madara. I live next door."

The Yamanaka woman's brows lifted in surprise, and she not-so-subtly hissed, "Is he the one that-" "Yes! Shut up!" Sakura's face would be purple if it got any darker.

She turned to face her neighbor, praying he wouldn't ask what she'd just been talking about, "Sorry for scaring you. Everything's alright. You can go if you-" "Uh, no, he can't. He's coming out with us, Forehead. Who else is gonna scare away the douchebags?"

Both people in the doorway looked at the leggy blond in confusion, the pink-haired woman being the one to speak, "When did I say I'd be going out?"

"You didn't; I did. Now get your ass in here and start getting ready," Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her further into the apartment, then she winked at the Uchiha man standing dumbstruck, "And you, go put on something nice. I'd better be impressed."

Then, the bold woman shut the door in his face, cackling loudly at her friend's mortified expression, whispering excitedly as she dragged her into the bedroom to go through the closet to pick out something for Sakura to wear, "Holy fuckin' shit, Bitch. He's a smoke show! Have you guys hooked up yet? God, I bet he's huge...."