Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold
Nothing fuels competition more than stolen spotlight – and that's exactly what Sasuke had done. Sakura was going to make sure that nobody stole what she deserved; even if what she deserved eventually becomes the thief himself… SasuSaku
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters
Prologue: A Girl Of Many Talents
Rain pattered on the glass window, droplets rolling down the crystal surface like teardrops. The sound was relaxing, and she made sure not to turn the music up so loud that she couldn't hear the weather tapping on the building.
She leaned forward, grabbing the arch of her foot and pulling herself towards the glossy, wooden floor. Her pink hair fell in front of her eyes, and she reminded herself to put it up before she began to dance.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as she fell back and pushed into an arc. Her breath left her, but easily came back when she flipped into a handstand. The soft, melodic rhythm to her warm ups and stretches comforted her, and allowed her to let loose when she began free styling.
As her feet delicately touched back to the ground, the tips of her toes barely touching the smooth floor, she sensed a presence lingering in the hallway…
But not for long…
Suddenly the harmonic illusion of her morning was shattered. A sledge hammer was taken to it, and it burned her ears as she snapped up, a permanent scowl etched across her features.
The doors were creaking, old and rusty, as they opened, and the scrapping of metal on wood was pounding in her head. Her hands balled into fists as she saw the large amount of people suddenly pooling in. At the head of it all?
"What the fuck are you doing in here, Uchiha?" She snarled, anger flaring in her eyes.
He took one look at her, sweeping over her features, and somehow making her (as he always did) self conscious of her appearance in the process. She had nothing to worry about. Her black leotard was covered by a cream sweater that hung off her shoulders, and her tights made her toned legs a few shades darker than they were.
"I'm sorry," he retorted insincerely, "are we disturbing you, Haruno?"
"What are you doing in my studio?" Sakura glared, her eyes dancing with a wild fire. A smirk flickered onto his features – he loved taunting her.
"Well see… the music teacher said that since this wasn't his free period, that I was supposed to go somewhere else because it was disrupting his class…" He shrugged, "I was the best anyways, so I don't see why he'd want to kick me out."
"Gee I wonder," She glowered.
"So I came here, as it's the only empty place in the building at the moment."
"But it's not empty," She pointed out, her tone icy sharp.
Sasuke glanced around, and suddenly a smug look rose to his face with a puff of beaming color, "I don't see anyone around."
Before she could leap forward and attack, people poured in with more equipment. There were guitars and cords, microphones and drums filling her already small studio, and she watched in horror as her stereo was kicked out of the way.
He dismissed her before her attention locked onto him again, and he moved away, bored with their conversation.
"Bastard!" She cursed, though her loud voice was swallowed by the sea of excited people. Anyone with a free period would be here. Hell, even some with class would be here soon! The thought infuriated her.
Sakura was the best. She had always been the best at everything, and to many people, she would always be the best… Her freshman year, people had already discovered her talent, and she climbed the high school social ladder into that "Untouchable" status before Christmas break. Between her grades, dancing, musical talent, sexy twin brother, kick ass attitude, and rich family, she was beyond the perfect girl.
But the summer before her sophomore year, something changed… She felt it in the wind, and hoped that her feeling was not right… But as it always seemed: it was.
A new band broke out that summer, with their first hit single. It climbed the local charts faster than she could blink. The name? The Akatsuki… The lead vocalist was hot – even she would admit to that… But there was someone else too, a brother perhaps…? Their guitarist, who didn't speak, rarely showed up to parties, and was always found with a different girl was just too young to be out of school…
And that first day of school that she was back, her nightmare came true. This already distasteful being was in her class. It made her growl just thinking about it, that someone could be that rude and arrogant. She loved the band, but this creature? She would rather chew off her own foot…
But it wasn't just that. Oh no – it didn't stop there… Sasuke Uchiha not only had the fame and talent – he had the looks, and the grades!
He rivaled Sakura in every different way. And that's how the hatred was born.
Music began flooding the air and broke through her thoughts. She stood in a crowd of people now, the only one not cheering and swaying to the beat. He plucked a couple of echoing notes, before he picked up a random tune, and floated into a cover of a song she didn't recognize.
So with the combination of my gift with one liners
And my way
My way with words
She glared, balling her hands into fists, and tried to storm (unsuccessfully) through the crowd to grab her stereo. He was so arrogant, and so frustrating – she didn't understand how a person like that could even exist!
It seems I'm too hip, to keep tight lipped
And you're on the gossip team
That damned song was going to haunt her forever as she shoved past random people dancing.
You're making something out of nothing
She stopped, and slowly moved her eyes to the stage, only to lock with his. Onyx and emerald, and suddenly a smug smirk grew like the plague on his features.
And jealousy's the cousin – the cousin of greed
A sort of growl-shriek escaped her throat (she couldn't even later recall exactly how she did it) and she snatched up her small, pathetic stereo, and shoved into the wooden doors – the once obnoxious screech when they opened, lost in the beat of the song.
No one stole what Sakura deserved, and she, ever since that first day that she locked eyes with him, just knew that she would have to make damn sure he had knowledge of that.
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"She's scarier than you today…" The blonde murmured, turquoise eyes wide with a clear fear. Her hand was clutching his, and she leaned toward him in a cowardly manner.
"Is that good or bad?" He questioned her, flinching when she slammed her tray down on the hard plastic. The other people who normally inhabited their lunch table had fled long ago.
Her head whipped up at the voice, and the two remaining people recoiled, gripping each other in a vise like grip.
"What are you two staring at today? God isn't there anything else you two could look at?" There were only two things that made her this mad: 1) being partnered with Karin, having to look at Karin, speaking with Karin, or having to stare at her fat ass in a mini skirt… and 2) Sasuke Uchiha. It was one of the two.
And simultaneously, both looked in opposing directions. They both braved sitting with the girl when she was this angry, but no one dared challenge her, unless they had a death wish.
And there was just one person stupid enough to play with fire.
"Well Cherry, you certainly look happy today!"
"Pig…" The girl's normally soprano voice was low and menacing. The blonde girl stood obediently, knowing what was coming next, "Hold me back…"
At that moment, Gaara and Ino stood, grabbing Sakura's struggling being and holding her to the seat, while Karin smirked, not the least bit phased.
"Well I shouldn't be surprised…" She waved a hand in the air and flipped her long, crimson hair over her shoulder, "You'd tell them to keep you back so you don't further fuck up your face…" The two worshippers the redhead had following her everywhere snickered.
Sakura, very unattractively, and yet somehow menacingly, snorted, "Please… I have them hold me back, because fighting you would result in me having to scrap your fat ass off the floor, and that's not something I want to look at outside the skirt!" She snarled, eyes narrowing into snake-like slits.
The dim witted girls behind the redhead stopped laughing immediately, and the ladder leaned forward, only inches away from her face.
"Excuse me, bitch?"
"Yup…" A slow smirk grew on the pinkette's face, "You heard me… bitch…"
And suddenly, a violent shriek and a few quick, tapping steps later, the girl stormed out of the cafeteria.
The one good thing about Karin-confrontations? They calmed Sakura down…
"You okay, sis?" Gaara nudged her, causing a smile to erupt on her features.
Slowly, people from all over the lunch room stirred, rising from their secondary group of friends, to rejoin the trio at the regular table.
"Yeah, I'm fine… I really hate Karin…"
"So we've noticed… So what happened this morning?" Ino laughed, before settling down to eat her salad.
Sakura blew out a sharp breath, her bangs flying from her face, before settling back down. Electric green eyes landed on her best friend, "Sasuke and his posse attacked the dance studio."
"During free period?" Ino asked, picking at her food, "And I missed it?"
"Ino, that's not really the point –"
"Sakura face it… They're hot… I mean, he may be the definition of asshole, but Sasuke Uchiha is hot!"
"Yuck! I'd rather date Lee."
This caused her twin to snicker. Rock Lee had had an everlasting love for Sakura ever since they started middle school, and was her permanent stalker. He was a sweetheart, and even she would admit that, but his eyebrows, and his voice, and the way he cried every time something inspiring (to him at least) happened, just creeped her the fuck out.
"Do you want me to tell him that?" He pondered, trying to act innocent.
Kiba was the first to hit the table, "Tell who? Did you guys just make a Lee comparison and I missed it?"
" 'Fraid so, kid…" Sakura replied solemnly, before stabbing at her cooked carrot and taking a bite out of it."
"Why can't I ever be one of those comparisons?" He questioned, running a hand through his hair… "You know, like a real one… Like, someone was about to throw Lee at your face with super glue, and they say: date Kiba, otherwise this happens!"
It wasn't as though he was in love with her. He just openly expressed that he would be the father of her children… Everyone learned to ignore him after the first hundred comments.
"Don't be mean to Lee, he's a sweetie…" Everyone gave her a look as she let on a sheepish smile, "He's just… creepy…"
"Yeah well, he's the only one with enough dedication to keep trying to date you," Choji commented, taking a bite of his sandwich.
Sakura shrugged, "I've already got enough going on in my life, I don't need a boyfriend on top of that…" She watched across the lunch room, where she saw a blonde senior in a narrower skirt than one of Sakura's larger belts, with her leg up on a chair, and her hand running a little too far up a boy's thigh. Her face screwed up in disgust, "I don't understand those girls who need boyfriends to keep them happy…"
"They're just fun to have around," Ino beamed, trying, for the umpteenth time in her life, to make her best friend understand, "It's like eye candy you can touch!" She winked, and nobody but her missed the brooding look Shikamaru sunk into at that very same moment.
Sakura fell silent as she heard her friends banter back and forth. Slowly, the conversation shifted, and the subject of boyfriends was dropped completely.
"A talent scout?" Ino's eyes bulged, a wide grin growing on her face.
"Yeah," Hinata poked both fingers together, suddenly nervous about having everyone's eyes on her, "I heard some teachers talking about it just outside the chemistry room."
"Oh my gosh! I can finally fulfill my life's dream!" Stars plagued Ino's eyes as she clasped her hands together and fantasized.
"For what kind of talent?" Gaara pushed, raising an eyebrow and leaning on the palms of his hands.
She shrugged, missing the jab completely, "Probably all kinds… Talent scouts don't just do one, do they?"
"Normally, if a talent scout goes to a school, their focus is singing and dancing, right?" Shikamaru's ever-present logic caused the blonde to squeal.
"Right up our alley!" She high-fived her best friend, as Kiba slumped back into his seat.
"You mean not for sports? Not everyone has the time to learn that kind of crap… It won't ever help you!" That earned quite a few glares, but he waved them away, "So like, I wouldn't get to be discovered for my amazing skills?"
"You wouldn't be a first pick anyways, Kiba," Shikamaru smirked, leaning lazily back into his chair as their friends burst into laughter.
"Ha-ha, funny… And what would you get discovered for? Mr. Lazy?"
"Obviously Shikamaru doesn't need to be discovered… He's already going to the best college in the whole world!" Ino rolled her eyes, irritated that she had to point out the obvious.
And before anything else could be said, the bell rang. Ever so slowly, students began to meander to their lockers and next classes, while others raced to lunch, excited to be free for the next eighty minutes.
"A talent scout…" Sakura breathed, eyes sparkling.
If that rumor were true, there wouldn't be one damned soul in that high school who would have a better shot at getting discovered than her…
At that moment, she collided with someone, forcing her to lose her footing. With papers flying, and books scattered all around the floor, she glanced up at her attacker.
He was already bent down, trying to help pick up, but when he glanced up at who it was, he stiffly dropped everything, and shoved his hands back into his pockets, "For a dancer, you aren't very graceful."
"Find a different hallway to walk in, Uchiha…" She retorted lamely. He glared as he walked away.
Well… grudgingly she would admit: almost the only one likely to get discovered…
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A/N: So how was that? Hopefully it entertained you guys :) in Bullet Proof, I started off Sasuke-centric, and I know that wasn't very popular. Right here, I have hints to the plot, and already showing you the status on their relationship.
You're in for a rollercoaster! I hope you enjoyed!
-zesty-