One of the boys

chapter 31

Naruko was nervously fiddling with her fingers, a scarf tied tightly to her throat, as she sat in Tsunade's office next to her mother, as they waited for the busty woman o come in, she was visiting someone else in the room next to them, and had let them wait there, since Kushina had insisted that they needed to see her immediately and that it was an emergency, Tsunade had agreed, she was a smart woman, she knew it would be no use telling Kushina Namikaze to take a regular appointment through her secretary.

So, a satisfied Kushina was now reading a magazine humming softly, while Naruko let out a big annoyed huff. It felt like they had been waiting forever and she couldn't even force herself to start a conversation with her mother, she couldn't even look at her in the eye she felt so embarrassed, although her mother had assured her there was no use for her to feel like that, but the blonde would just fumble a few words and blush turning her face away, and her hands would shoot up to adjust the already tight scarf, whose only purpose in the middle of a hot summer was to keep the dark red marks on her bronzed skin hidden, a not so subtle remainder of what had happened the night before, in Itachi's office, not that her sore body wasn't enough to remind her, because she was hurting everywhere, even parts of her body she didn't know could hurt, but she didn't regret it, it was well worth it, because she was sure last night, it had been the best night of her life. Itachi had been so loving and so tender with her, she felt like her love for him had grown and her heart could almost explode from happiness. It had been completely different from what she expected, and she realized how stupid she had been for being so scared, especially after Sakura had confessed her own experience and that it hurt. She had discovered she was right, at least on the second part, because it had, at first, but then, once that was over, well she was sure she had never felt anything like it, so many different emotions and in such a bliss, it was like time had stopped for them, and she had dozed off in his safe arms after they had joined, and it had been the perfect end for that crazy evening.

It was only when he had to take her home, after an hour of peaceful rest, she had noticed the red angry marks on her skin, when she had walked into the small private bathroom in his office, and had checked her hair and face's conditions. Itachi had unashamedly shrugged his shoulders with a small smirk, and she blushed, noticing he had one on his neck as well. They were kind of even, but he could easily hide it with his tie, while she had to use his jacket and pull the neck up, luckily, her parents weren't home yet, she had called them before leaving, and they were apparently having fun at the still going party, with Itachi's parents, and sounded surprised she was already going home. They must have been pretty hammered to not have noticed they had been gone for a couple of hours, but she didn't complain, and after bidding Itachi good night had slipped in bed, trying to find a strategy to hide the evidence on her neck.

She had tried to steal some foundation from her mother's beauty case, but to no avail, she was paler than her, and it didn't manage to cover the marks well enough so, she had tried leaving her hair down, but as soon as she made a movement they would go out of place, and unless she didn't want to look like the little scary girl from The ring, it wasn't a good solution. High neck shirts were out of the question, so, she had called Itachi, and after giving him an earful he had quietly suggested she use a scarf, she had immediately dismissed his suggestion, telling him exactly where she thought he could put his ideas, hanging up on him.

Although stupid, it was the only option she had, and the only one that worked. Stupid Itachi, it was his fault she was now in that messy situation, she would have to make sure to get back at him somehow, she still didn't know how, but she was sure she would find a way. Maybe she would have to ask Sasuke for help.

It was still kind of weird to walk around in a scarf in the middle of july, but at least she had a light one Ino had given her, and she could tell everyone she had a sore throat, she had to give credit to the Uchiha, he was one smart bastard.