School Daze
RavenOrozco
Disclaimer:
I own nothing... except the plot if this story
Summary:
High School for Sakura hasn't been easy, but this year is going to be different. It's her Senior Year. It was going to be great. If only Sasuke Uchiha hadn't been looking for some fun.
You know what I want? I want for the whole world to forget about my existence. Whatever happened to the simple times when we were all carefree and could play without worry? I guess that those days are over. Ever since I started school, I was a loner. People made fun of me because of my forehead. Most people did. Even the teachers. They tried to hide it, but I overheard them saying that I would be so pretty if only I didn't have such a big forehead. I guess they thought they were alone in the classroom when I returned to grab the notebook I had forgotten on the desk. I became withdrawn, keeping to myself since that day.
I knew that I wasn't beautiful. But I was pretty, regardless of what others thought of me. I knew that. I had to believe that. But I wasn't a model, nothing special, not worth a second glance at. I don't know what happened that day. Why he picked me. It was my senior year, it was supposed to be perfect.
Things didn't work out for me. He chose me. I had no other choice but to accept him too. He would make sure that I didn't have another option.
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
"Ouch! Stupid table!" Sakura Hurano groaned as she hit her little toe on the computer desk near her bed, on the way to turn off her alarm clock. She knew that she could have the alarm clock anywhere near her in the morning because if she did, then she would just press the snooze button and go back to sleep. She went into the bathroom across that hall from her bedroom. Sakura studied her face in the bathroom mirror and walked back to her room. Getting dressed in the skirt and button up white long-sleeved shirt that she had set aside the night before, she grabbed her backpack and walked to the kitchen. Her house was a simple single 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, single floor house so there weren't any stairs. Mrs. Hurano was a physical therapist and made enough money to live comfortably.
She walked pass the sink and reached into one the drawers near the refrigerator and opened the drawer where her mom usually stuffed the wasn't even 8 o'clock yet and her mother had already left. She never wanted to be tardy or way late. 'Like mother, like daughter.' Taking a packet out of the blue box, she left the house, locking the door behind her, and started walking towards her high school. It didn't take her long, and of course she could have taken her car, but seeing how she only live a block away, why should she bother?
Konoha High School came into view within seven minutes, mostly because she took her time walking there. And even then, she was the first one to arrive at the scene. She waited by the steps of the high school, hoping the Mrs. Harris would arrive soon.
Mrs. Harris was the school librarian for the past 9 years and had taken a liking to Sakura ever since she found her behind a large pile of books on a back table near the corner. That was freshman year, and every year after that she would just go to the library before school started, during her lunch break and after school, just to hang out. Sakura smiled lightly as she saw Mrs. Harris approach her with a smile on her face.
"Well, hello there Miss. Hurano! A bit early today, I see." Sakura blushed.
"I hope you don't mind, but you did mention something about new books coming in for the new academic school year before school let out. I wanted a quick peek."
Mrs. Harris smiled as she held the door open, "Of course I don't mind, come on in Sakura." They both went inside as the door shut behind them. "Do you have your new schedule with you?"
Sakura started looking through her bookbag. "Yes ma'am. The schedules were mailed to seniors during summer vacation, so that we could make the changes necessary to make sure we have all the credits that we need to get into college and graduate," she said as pulled out the white slip of paper. "All I have is English 4 with Kakashi, as far my core classes go, but I have Art 5 Advanced Placement with Tsunade, then Theatre 1..." Mrs. Harris raised an eyebrow. "My mother made me sign up for it, she said it will help me to so-called 'spread my wings' and help me be more outgoing for when I go away for college, with Yamato," Sakura explained. "And then... it's a free period."
"Every good. Pretty much, an easy semester, right?" Sakura nodded. "Alright, missy... there they are." Mrs. Harris giggled, "Don't have too much fun." and then made her way into her office, leaving behind a wide-eyed Sakura with the two full carts of new books that were delivered to the school yesterday.
Suki Harris walked into her office, coffee at hand. She turned on the computer and sat down on her seat... Her attention, however, wasn't on the screen, but on the girl. Suki smiled lightly, Sakura reminded her so much of her daughter. Her eyes wandered to the picture frame on her desk. If Sakura had blue eyes, and dark brown hair... they could've been twins. She looked over at Sakura once again, who was sitting at her favorite desk in the corner, the very one she had first found Sakura years ago. After finding out that the library was Sakura's safe heaven, she allowed her to come in whenever she needed to, Library pass or not.
According to Sakura, things have been going much better with her classmates. But not by much. She never went into the cafeteria, and never went into the bathrooms during class exchanges. Smart girl. Most of the students didn't even notice her anymore. Suki and Sakura laughed last year when Sakura heard someone ask if she was a new student. Suki smiled and started thinking of her daughter, 'Saki, you would have loved Sakura. I love you my daring. Come home soon, safe.'
"Alright Sakura, it's time to go! Class starts in 5 minutes. Go! Go! Go!" Mrs. Harris hurried Sakura out of the library and smiled sadly as Sakura walked out the door with a wave. Such a pretty girl. Mrs. Harris shook her head and walked to the carts to start taking inventory of the new books.
Sakura walked along the wall, trying to avoid being trampled over by the cliques of girls whispering amongst each other about some guy, and stopped at the doorway of the room, only to find it empty. She had been told that Kakashi was known for arriving to class late. She took her time to observe the room. Walking through the door she saw that there were five rows of seats that went back six rows. She sat on the fifth seat in the last row so that she could have a window seat and look out of window whenever she was bored. She set down in her chair and looked out the window
****Outside****
"Is he coming?"
"I don't know... I can't see anything."
"Where is he?"
"In my mind."
Laughter
"There he is!"
"Sasuke!"
Whispers filled the air as Sasuke got out of his car and started walking towards the school, his friends, Naruto, Gaara, and Sai, caught up. They all arrived at the same time mostly since they lived close by and had the habit of leaving their house roughly around the same time.
"I want Naruto..."
"Really? But he's such a goofball! Cute? Yes. But a goofball. Then again, it's also less competition for Sasuke, so you have my blessing."
"Sasuke is very good looking."
"Not to mention rich."
"Naruto is rich too."
"Not as much as a Sasuke though."
"Very true... hmm, Sasuke is very hot... I changed my mind, I want Sasuke too."
"What?!"
Sasuke smirked as her heard the girls' conversations as he walked passed them, not paying them any more attention, his smirk growing wider as he heard a whispered "Teme." coming from the blondes' mouth. Which he ignored. 'Dobe.'They didn't bother saying good morning to each other, their greeting was usually a nod from their head and they left it at that. It wasn't necessary to speak any more. They knew what was what, who was who, and only spoke when necessary. The way Sasuke saw it, wasting his breath wasn't worth it.
"I heard that he just got out of prison."
"Don't be stupid, he's too hot to go to prison."
"Yeah, there was a rumor going around that he fucked the judge."
"Eww!"
"A girl judge... stupid."
"I wonder what he's like in bed."
"He must be a god..."
Everywhere he turned there were girls, trying to catch his attention. He never cared for any of them of course. All they wanted was popularity and his money. Fuck that and fuck them. His mind wandered as he thought back to last night. He left that red-haired slut in her bed this morning. What was her name? Kathy? Katie? Didn't matter, she was a good lay. She didn't even attend this school, at least he didn't think so.
He didn't really care either. Didn't really care for anyone. None of the girls at the school interested him, they were dull... boring... predictable. 'Annoying.' Its disgusted him really. He wanted a challenge. Something new. Something fresh. 'No. Not something... Someone. Someone I can manipulate. Someone that belongs to me. Only me. Mine. Someone that denies me. So, I can break her. Break her until I am the only one she thinks of. ' Onyx eyes looked franticly around the hallway dismissing girls as soon as he saw them. 'No... no... no... hell no... not her... damn! No... no... n-...' Sasuke suddenly stopped, causing Naruto to crash into Gaara, who in turned pushed him off against the lockers.
Sasuke looked intensely at the girl as she walked along the wall then stopping at the doorway of a classroom, apparently looking around the room, then entered the room, long pink hair trailing behind her. One word said it all...
'Her.'
'I'm sorry honey. But you-know-who asked me to dinner again tonight. I hope you don't mind. I will bring you something back from the restaurant. So, don't worry about making dinner. I won't be out late, but please, please, please baby, try to stay awake, we need to talk. I love you baby, see you tonight.'
Sakura sighed as she flips closed her cell phone. She was currently inside the bathroom stall after seeing that she had a missed call, and a new voicemail, both from her mom. Her mother had been on the dating for a year now. And she yet to bring him home so that Sakura could meet the mystery man. 'I can hardly hold it against my mother. I mean, she is only doing what she thinks is best for me, and she sounded really happy.' Sakura smiled at the thought. Her mother had read very child rearing book that she could get her hands on and had told Sakura that she would not be bringing any guys to the house to meet her unless she knew that it would last, or at least, serious. And it seemed like that this guy was the real deal for her mom. She wished her all the best. After all, she didn't want her mom to be alone after she went away for college.
It did however, bother her that they have been dating for a year, and she didn't even know the guy's name. She only knew that her mom met him at work. Do they work together? Or was he a client? What's he like?
'Try to stay awake, we need to talk.' What does that mean? It sounds serious. She thought about that while she stepped out from the bathroom and onto the hallway. Sakura walked, once again, along the wall, after nearly being trampled over by a kid going in the opposite direction, three seniors falling closely behind. Every year, on the first and last day of school, there was a... what should we call it...? A Holiday? Tradition? And it is called... Freshmen Beat Down. Or as many of the seniors are fond of saying Freshmeat Beat everywhere Sakura turned there were kids running around, red faced, and out of breath. Herds of girls, walking together, scared looks on their faces. Yes, even girls fell victims to Freshmen Beat Down, however, the boys weren't allowed to touch the girls. So, all the sophomore, junior, and senior girls pulled all the pranks on the Freshmen girls.
Most tried running away from it, but to be honest, no one escaped. There was no point in running away. Sakura learned that the hard way her freshman year.
English with Kakashi had been surprisingly easy. Regardless of what she had heard of him these past three years, he was a good teacher. Except for that little orange book that he carried around with him most if the time. What was it, with that book? He had given them the instructions of the day, even though they were written on the board, and then sat down, and the read the book. However, it did impress her that he got up and answered questions and clarified others' statements, and he didn't even get mad or bothered. His class would be easy and if she kept her grades up to the A average that she forced herself to maintain throughout the years, getting into medical school, would be easy. She currently had four applications in her backpack, planning on filling them out during lunch. Those were after all, due on Monday of next week. She had more college applications in her locker, and those that had to be sent over the internet, had been sent. Oh yeah, school was going to be amazing this year.
Sakura turned the corner, on her way to her second period, when she noticed the group of boys, four guys to be exact, break through the sea of people. 'No, they didn't break through,' she thought. ' People moved out of their way. Like the Red Sea parted of Moses. Who are they?' She stopped a bit, and noticed that one of the boys, a red headed boy, had another, geekier looking, by the shirt, talking feverously. The geeky boy looked familiar, but she couldn't place his face at that moment. She only noticed that he kept stuttering. What was going on? She had seen him around before, so she knew that he wasn't a freshman... was he in trouble? The blonde one... 'We had Biology together when we were partners for a week, until the teacher assigned seats for us, then I was stuck with Ino. that's Naruto.' She continued to observe the group when her attention was captured by the one with the spikey black hair. 'Who is he?' Sakura arrived at the art classroom, only find the door close. It was very common to find the door closed and locked, it only opened five minutes before the bell rang.
"Sasuke!"
Sakura saw that the dark-haired boy looked up, as his name was being called, he frowned, ignored the girl that called his name when she was passing by, and turned his attention back to what the red haired one was saying to the geek. 'He just ignored her. That was rude.' She shook her head, when she noticed that the door to her classroom opened up, so that students could finally enter the class.
Suddenly, she felt a shiver travel all through her body, and she looked up, her emerald eyes meeting onyx, in an intense gaze. She noticed that he suddenly reached out is arm, grabbed the geek boy from the red head's grasp, pulled the boy towards him, and nodded in her direction. The geek boy looked at her. Sakura looked away quickly, a blush creeping up into her cheeks, heart thumping fast, and she quickly entered the Art classroom before she could see what happened next.
Rock Lee breathed deeply. He had run away from the fearsome four, as he liked to call them, just a few minutes ago. He didn't even do anything. He was just getting his things out of his locker, when suddenly his locker door was slammed shut, by none other than Gaara. The freaky one with the heavy eyeliner, and flaming red hair, who was leaning on the locker beside his.
"Lee...," Garra said in a low voice. "How we doing, buddy?" Lee looked to his left, away from Gaara, only to find Sai, leaning on the lockers on that side.
"N-n-nothing... just getting the book for th-" That was it. Lee turned around fast, his backpack swinging behind him, as it caught Garra on the chin, and ran only to find himself falling on his ass. He looked up, to see what had stopped his getaway, only find out that it wasn't a what... but a who. Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of him, Naruto Uzumaki beside him. The Uchiha's chest might as well been a brick wall... 'Damn that hurt.' He rubbed his nose.
Naruto looked down at him, eyes filled with pity. Sasuke's eyes, however, condemned him. They were filled with disgust. Lee watched him as the Uchiha crossed his arms over his chest, and then suddenly, he was being lifted by his shirt, by Gaara. He looked up at him and saw that there was a red mark on his face, from where his backpack had struck him as he turned around. Gaara looked furious, and wasn't afraid to show how much, as he made a fist, and it collided with Lee's lower stomach. Sasuke turned around, uncaring, and started walking away, Gaara pulling Lee, who had doubled over in pain, with them. Apparently, he was going on a field trip.
He tried to keep up, but they walked even faster than he was used to. The only thing that he was worried about was about being smacked into the walls, as they passed them. After all, it had happened before and Garra hadn't been mad then. Unlike now. Lee heard him talk angrily, but Lee hardly paid him any attention. He caught a few of his words, now and then, but not really being able to put two and two together. 'Stupid geek... don't even know... want a full profile... your mother...' Nothing seemed to make sense right now.
"Ino. Her name is Ino." Lee said nervously, coming to his senses after having the Uchiha's angry glare looking at his direction.
"Hn."
"What? You're interested in Ino, Teme?"
"Hn." Sasuke let the geek boy go, who, in turn, ran away quickly, 'Ino.' he thought. 'sounds annoying,' Sasuke looked at the classroom in which she had entered. Art freak, His eyes narrowed. He walked ahead of the group, but Naruto caught up to him quick.
"You can't be seriously interested in Ino, Sasuke. She's exactly the type of person that you hate. You hate the type to be clingy and possessive. What made you want to be with her?"
"And you know she's like that how?"
"We had Biology together in tenth grade. Oh! We also had physical education with her. Remember?"
"Hn."
Sasuke replayed the whole thing in his mind repeatedly. 'Ino.' Somehow, the name didn't suit her. He sat in Kakashi's class, second period, thinking about the incident, which wasn't like him, at all. The girl with the pink her was Ino. Her name was Ino, and she had even been in a class with him. She liked art.
'You hate the type to be clingy and possessive.' Naruto's voice echoed in his head.
Sasuke made a face, which didn't go unnoticed by Sai, who lifted an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
'It's not okay, for her to be like that... I will take those habits out of her. She won't be clingy, because I will break her, she will learn. She won't be possessive, because I will put her in her place. And if she's popular? Ha, everyone will soon know that they won't even be able to look at her. If they do... they will pay. Ino will be sacred. No one would be able to touch her. Only me. No one would be allowed to look at her. Only me. And she... she won't be able to think about anything. Only me.' Sasuke narrowed his eyes and turned his face so that Sai couldn't' see his facial expressions. 'Ino...' His eyes turned dark. 'You will be mine.'
Sakura stared at her sketch as her pencil moved fluidly around the raspy paper. Her art class was the easiest and by far, the most enjoyable to her. It was great, and she enjoyed having Tsunade as her instructor. She was great with her students, if they did their work.
Mrs. Tsunade was very talented, also being trained as a nurse, and when she found out that Sakura inspired to be a doctor, they connected immediately. She was currently walking around the room, watching her students' progress. Sakura looked back to her drawing of her mother. Sakura frowned, losing her smile instantly, her mind traveling straight to what she had witnessed earlier. Were they looking at her? 'No. He couldn't have. He doesn't even know my name. Sasuke. That's what that girl had called him. I've never had a class with him.' Sakura's pencil stopped moving across the page. 'Maybe it was someone behind me. Who was behind me?' Sakura thought about it hard, 'Ten-Ten came in right after me. He was more likely looking at her. Then again, it could have been someone that was going by too. Yeah, that's it. That's what happened.'
"Sakura? Is everything alright?" She looked up and found Mrs. Tsunade looking down at her drawing.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Just wondering what my mom is doing. This assignment is excellent. Thank you."
Mrs. Tsunade responded to Sakura's smile with one of her own. It was impossible not to. Sakura had this light about her that just glowed and touched everyone around her. She reminded her of herself when she was younger. The difference was that apparently Sakura was being smart. She didn't have a boyfriend, hardly went partying, and didn't let any problems interfere with her work. She was going to make a wonderful doctor one day. The best of the best.
Naruto stared at Sasuke, knowing that there was nothing good on the dark-haired boy's mind. He sat near Sai, who in turn, was intensely watching Sasuke, just like Naruto, the only difference was that while there was an amused look on his face, Naruto wore a frown.
'Ino. Her name is Ino.'
Naruto looked up at the mention of Ino. At some point, Sasuke had grabbed Lee from Garra's grasp, and had pointed out Ino. Naruto's frowned deepened. He looked up, and there she was, Ino-chan, looking a beautiful as ever, with her blonde hair, which had gotten longer over the summer. She was standing behind that pink haired girl... wait... 'I had a class with her too... Sakura.' He quickly got his mind back on track.
"What? You're interested in Ino, Teme?"
"Hn." Sasuke had let Lee out of his grasp, and the boy took the opportunity and ran away quickly, as if the devil was running after him. Naruto looked up, just in time to see the door to the art room open, and Sakura quickly slipped inside, providing a better view of Ino.
'Ino... why? No. He can't have you. Not you. Why you Ino?'
"You can't be seriously interested in Ino, Sasuke." Naruto demanded. "She's exactly the type of person, that you hate. You hate the type to be clingy and possessive. What made you want to be with her?"
"And you know she's like that how?"
"She and I had Biology together in tenth grade."
'That was when Ino and I met and dated for 6 months. I told you all about her.' Naruto tightened his grip on his pencil.
"Oh! We also had physical education with her. Remember...?"
'Because that's where she broke up with me, because she wanted to be with you.' His knuckles were turning white.
"Hn." Was his only response.
Naruto looked at Sasuke.
'He's interested in her. He wants her.'
"I'm sorry Naruto, but Sasuke won't be interested in me if I'm dating a friend of his. I mean, I do have feelings for you, but I have feelings for him as well. He is very mysterious, dark, handsome. He is different from you. I'm sorry, and I hope that one day you can forgive me. We're over. I hope we can friends."
'And yet... she never spoke to me again.' Snap! Naruto looked down at the broken pencil.
It was then... when Naruto Uzumaki realized just how much he hated Sasuke Uchiha.
Sakura walked on the sidewalk. 'Home sweet home... finally.' She smiled as she saw her house, and literally ran to it to reach the cool air that the house provided. 'I'm so driving tomorrow,' Sakura thought grimly. She went straight into her room and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, walking around the house shoe less. She couldn't stand walking around in shoes inside her house. It felt very uncomfortable to her on the carpeted floors. She turned on the television, not really caring what was on, she just needed noise right now. It was something that had become a comfort to her. Ever since it was just her mom and her, it had been like this. Very lonely. And yet here she was. Sakura Hurano. Soon to be- Doctor Sakura Hurano. And all thanks to her mom.
Sometimes she wondered exactly what it would be like if her dad was still around. But she decided not to ponder on it too much. What good would it do? Things were great.
Sasuke Uchiha came to a slow stop as he watched as Ino, go inside at what appeared to be her house. He had slowly followed her in his car. It was a long, yet exciting journey. A two-block journey. He found it satisfying that she could turn around at any moment and be alerted of his presence, he had already thought of a plan to cover his intentions if that were ever to happen. He felt like a stalker. It really was no wonder why many stalkers enjoyed the hunt as much as the kill. 'Not that I want to kill her.' He couldn't wait until tomorrow. He had thought about it all. His encounter with her. He would be nice to her. The perfect gentlemen. What every girl wants. Every girl's dream guy. And it will remain that way until she stepped out of line. Which he would make sure that then, she knows exactly who runs the relationship. Because that's exactly what he wanted from her. A relationship. To keep the other annoying girls away from him. Until he tired of her.
Sasuke didn't know what it was about the girl that made him want to possess her. But he did. He wanted to. He needed to have her. Make her his. He just saw her, completely unaware of him. Usually all he had to do is walk into the room, and he would be surrounded by fascinated stares. He had seen her twice, and neither time had she ever paid him any attention. She wasn't like other girls. He liked wanted to have her attention. 'I crave it. I crave her.' He shifted his car to drive, and pulled away from her neighbor's house, a plan already forming in his mind. He knew she would be his by the end of the week.
Lee was scared.
'And that is an understatement.'
It was after school, and he needed Ino's profile. He hated having to sneak into the school's offices to gather the information necessary for the Uchiha. He didn't understand why he was interested in her suddenly, everyone knew that she was after him for a long while. He was a bad person, only interested in himself. He didn't need this right now. He knew that he would be in big trouble with Sasuke and his posse if he didn't do this. He had been through this before back in middle school. Back when Gaara had a crush on Sasaki Yamato. He almost got caught back then, and Lee had a black eye because Gaara said that three hours to get the information was a too long. And after that, Lee knew that when Gaara asked for something, he needed to get it soon.
He silently headed to the guidance office, knowing that all staff was in the gym's bleachers discussing how the first day of school went for all the teachers, and to point out potential troublemakers. He had to make this quick. Focused on all the possible noises that could mean a teacher was on their way, and all the possible consequences of what would happen if he ever got caught, he slipped into the offices. He went directly to the file cabinets near that back.
"Y... Y... Y... Ah ha!"
Lee pulled open the file cabinet and started flipping through the folders until- "Jackpot!" Lee pulled Ino's file from the rest, quickly making a copy and shoved it into his bag, replacing the original file and then slipped out quickly, leaving no trace of him ever being in the office. Mission accomplished.
Too bad it was the wrong the target.
"Sakura!" A voice rang out from the front door.
Sakura turned down the music playing lightly from the speakers, and walked out of the room, to meet her mother at the door. As she walked down the hallway she heard the front door slam. Sakura smiled, sometimes she could swear that her mom was the teenager, and she was the adult.
Ms. Hurano was stepping into the kitchen when Sakura got a view of her mom. She had a white take-out Styrofoam box in one hand, and her jacket and purse in the other. And a wide smile on her face. 'Hi mom!' Sakura expressed, dropping a quick kiss on her cheek before being swept into a tight hug. She grabbed the take-out box and slipped into the living room and onto the loveseat, grabbing the remote, flipping the tv on to anything, already knowing that she was not going to be able to watch. Her mom could talk up a storm and she had already said that she needed to talk to her tonight.
She watched her mom come from her room, and into the kitchen, smile switched to a nervous one. What was going on? Ms. Hurano came back with a fork, knowing that Sakura always forgot the utensils when she had take-out. With a smile from her daughter, she sat down on the other side of the loveseat before getting down to business and discussing an important issue that had only been brought up to her this morning.
"So, I had quite a busy day... and what I wanted to tell you was that..."
*** Flashback ***
Andrea Hurano fought back a yawn, as she stood behind her desk, pushing the button that would turn on her computer, and looking down onto her desk, at the calendar that sat upon it. There were many names that were scribbled neatly all around it, oh yeah, physical therapy was busy work. 'Three clients before lunch, and four afterwards, by the looks of it, I will be home late.' Andrea sighed as her computer beeped and her desktop appeared. She felt warn arms wrap around her, and with a gasp, she turned around, only to find herself staring into dark mischievous eyes. A smile broke into her face as he leaned down and planted a kiss onto her glossy lips. 'Wow... good morning to you too." She said as she felt him hug her closer.
"Meet me for dinner?"
She pulled away. "I don't know honey. I have been coming home a tad bit late all this week, only to find Sakura asleep. I haven't seen her at all, so..." She trailed off once she saw that he had his lips in a thin line. "What's wrong?"
"I think it's time we talked about Sakura." he replied, moving away from her.
She felt her heart stop for a second. He had told her about her daughter. But she never revealed too much. Just in case they didn't work out. But... it was too late. Andrea could tell from the way her heart skipped a beat whenever she saw him, that she was in love. Madly, truly, forever in love with this wonderful man. She heard her voice trembling. "What about Sakura?"
He came closer to her once again, grabbing her from her arms, and looking her straight in her eyes he said the words that she has feared all this time... "I think it's time we met."
*** Flashback Ends***
Sakura was dying... from laughter. So hard that she started choking on her food.
"Hahaha... mom! What did you say?!"
"Well? What did you expect me to say?! I was so stunned. I mean, I have told him about you before, but... he's never... we've never... no one has... I just don't know."
"So...?"
Andrea looked at her mother wearily. "So... what?"
"When do I get to meet him?" Sakura said with a smile on her face.
Andrea let out a sigh. "I told him I would talk to you about it first."
"What? Mom-"
"I know Sakura! I know. But what can I do? I love you, and I'm crazy about him, but I also have wrapped my mind around the fact that you are my child and that I need to protect you over anything and everyone. What am I going to do? What if I bring him around and then you meet him, and you like him, and he leaves? Doesn't want to be around. Or worse, what if you two meet. and then decide that you hate each other? What then? I mean-"
"Mom! I know! I know! But invite him over next week for diner. We won't know until we try, from what you have told me... the very little, you have told me, he is a wonderful person, and I think it's time that we meet also. I want to meet that wonderful person that makes you smile, in the morning." Sakura gave her mom a smile. "I want you to be happy mom. You deserve to be."
Andrea looked up to meet her daughter's eyes and smiled. 'Yes, I deserve to be happy.'
Too bad that her happiness would depend on Sakura's suffering.
Sasuke was waiting for her. Outside of her house. Nothing. Where was she? She walked home yesterday, so it was common sense that she walked to school in the morning. 'Damn it... where the fuck is she?' There was a possibility that she had already left for school, but he seriously doubted it, the school wasn't all that far away. Sasuke pulled away from the curb and moved forward to the school. He had a reputation to maintain.
After speeding to the school, he made it there under three minutes... after purposely hitting a cat. 'Damn thing was in my way...' he scowled. The school appeared, already filling with the pathetic beings that went there. He looked at the time... Naruto, Sai, and Gaara should already be inside. He exited his car, slamming the door shut, secretly burning inside because of his failed attempt at his 'first' meeting with Ino. Damn it all. He walked towards the doors, ignoring all the stares and the 'Sasuke's being called, and walked confidently to the stair leading up to the second floor.
'Sasuke!'
He turned around to find Naruto waving his arms over his head like an idiot, and he walked over there, only to find he with a folder in his hand. 'Lee came through for you Sasuke... as always." Naruto said, handling him the folder that was given to him this morning. Naruto, being as curious as he was, opened it, only to discover beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. Yamanaka Ino. He shut the folder when he saw Sasuke's black chicken head bobbing up the stairs. Naruto watched as he opened the folder, stare at the photo of her, calmly closed it, and turned around without saying a world. Naruto however, noticed that he had 'Murder' written in his eyes.
What was in the folder that made Sasuke so pissed?
Sakura decided to take her car. She had just woken up too late today. 'Thank you, Mom,' she thought as she rolled her eyes. Rolling down the window, letting the warm air in, she pulled out of her drive way. Today... she would show up for Theater. Sakura walked out of the guidance office, tardy note in one hand, and her stomach in the other. 'Food poisoning... not fun.' She stared at the note in her hand and headed up the stairs. She was already late for first period. Both herself and her mom were up at different times of the night, throwing up thanks to the restaurant that her mom and boyfriend had eaten at. 'I wonder if her boyfriend is sick as well?' she thought.
Crash!
Hmmm...
Sakura looked towards where the noises had come from. Eyes wide, she started walking towards lockers. Had someone fallen? Were they hurt? Sakura walked a little faster until she found that she was looking for.
Rock Lee was on the floor, head against the lockers, his head had made an indentation on her his head had made an impact. He had papers scattered all over him, and he was bleeding from the lip. Over him stood Sasuke. Sakura took a step forward and looked down at the sheet of paper she stepped on, only to see Yamanaka Ino staring back at her from the photograph.
She looked up again and saw Sasuke take another step towards Lee, it wasn't hard to see what had happened. So, before she could figure out what the hell she was doing, she ran towards them. 'Stop! What are you doing?!'
Sasuke looked up to see who was yelling. 'It's her.' His eyes narrowed. 'So, she is here.' He watched her as she got to her knees besides Lee and asked him if he was ok. Lee opened his eyes, looked at her, and whisper 'Sakura...'. Sasuke eyes narrowed as he picked up Lee from him shirt and slammed him against the lockers on the opposite side, with full force, and whispered harshly in his ear. 'So, you did know her name...?'
"STOP IT!"
Sasuke turned around, just in time to move out of the way as a fist flew his way and hit the lockers behind him. 'Ow!' Sakura looked at her fist that was reddening quickly, only to have that pain replace with the greater one that appeared on her whole back as she was pushed against the lockers, with Sasuke's hand holding her against them by her neck. She felt him tighten his hold, further cutting off her air supply. She raised her emerald eyes which were starting to fill with tears to meet his pitch-black ones. Sasuke, with his eyes narrowed, looked over her... How dare she even try to go against him? Who did she think she was? Stupid bitch. Sakura brought her hands up to his and tried to pry his hand away from her neck, so she would be able to breathe. Useless. He tightened his hold on her neck, to further prove his point, and he watched her eyes widen, tears escaping. He felt it. Power. 'Had I known it felt like this... ' He didn't get to finish his thought, because Lee had managed to get up and had thrown his full body weight against Sasuke. And even though it didn't really do much damage, it did make his loose his hold on Sakura's throat. And that pissed him off. While Sakura gulped air repeatedly, sliding down the lockers, and onto the floor, Sasuke took the opportunity, knowing that she wasn't going anywhere and quickly turned around to throw a fist to Lee's face. Without a doubt, Sasuke heard a bone breaking, as Lee's body landed on the floor.
But the Uchiha was far from over and he swung a leg over Lee's body and repeatedly started throwing punches. They never ended. Over and over... Lee had lost conscience, the blows to his face and head were too much for his body to handle, the pain unbearable.
'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!'
Sasuke felt arms lifting him from Lee, strong arms restricted him. He looked around and saw a teacher leaning over Sakura, apparently making sure that she was alright.
Sakura opened her eyes, finally getting over her coughing fit, to find Tsunade leaning over her, concern filling her whole features.
"Sakura... Are you alright?"
No... my throat is burning. "Yeah..." she managed to squeak out.
"Don't try to talk..." Tsunade looked at her throat and saw the unmistakable markings of fingers that were wrapped all around.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Tsunade looked over at Sasuke, who was yelling, and trying to get lose from the tight hold of the Physical Education teachers from the weight lifting division. "That bastard was holding on to her, hurting her! I just helped her! What the fuck? Let me go!"
"Is this true Sakura?" Tsunade asked her. Sakura looked up at Sasuke and shook her head 'no'.
"Take him to the principal's office..." she told them, and turned her attention from Sasuke to Lee, who thankfully was breathing.
With her attention occupied with Lee, Tsunade failed to notice the fact that Sasuke's eyes never left Sakura's profile.
She looked up.
That was her mistake.
As Sasuke was being taken away...
She saw that look in his eyes...
Those eyes held a promise...
...She would pay...
Her eyes widened. Sasuke smirked.
She got the message.
Sakura walked into the gym. Apparently, theatre class was being held there, because the dance class was going to be rehearsing for the dance completion that was supposed to be taking place later that week. It was going to be her first time in the class. The rest of the school day was hell. It was crazy how fast the events of that day happened. Everywhere she turned there were whispers and nasty glares from many girls. And theatre class was no exception. She sat towards at the side of the bleachers, away from everyone else, and away from all the whispers. She knew that many girls blamed her for getting Sasuke suspended and arrested? Of course, Sakura didn't know if he got arrested, but it was possible. I mean... isn't that what usually happens? Looking down at her lap, she wished that she had taken up Tsuande's offer to go home and rest. But she had already skipped this class once, and she refused to let it happen again. "Even after everything that has happened today..." Sakura looked down at her wet shirt, a lovely present from another girl during lunch, frowning "...I still can't catch a break."
Naruto Uzumaki watched as Sakura Hurano entered the gym, her head down, obviously upset with all that had occurred that morning. Many considered her a snitch, but to Naruto, she was anything but. He had heard many rumors during that morning. He heard how badly Lee had been hurt, and even though Lee meant nothing to him, he defiantly didn't have anything against the poor kid. "No one deserves to be hurt over a mistake like that." Naruto and the rest of the guys knew what had happened, what had REALLY happened. Not these ridiculous rumors that had been going around. As soon as he saw here sit on the bottom bleacher, he instantly felt sympathy towards the girl, and shot a hard look towards a group of girls that had started to whisper obscene things toward the pink haired girl, shutting them up instantly. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to approach the girl.
"Hey there!"
Sakura turned around to see Naruto behind her. Wearing a wide grin on his face, Sakura smiled lightly at him and turned back around, looking ahead of her. There was always the possibility that he wasn't talking to her, Naruto's smile fell a bit, but he wasn't discouraged as he got up and sat beside her. "So... You weren't here yesterday... were you?" Naruto waited patiently for a response. He had known Sakura very briefly in the past. They were science partners of less than week a few years ago, but while he was very talkative, he didn't fail to notice that she wasn't the talking kind. He smiled when she slowly nodded. "You didn't miss anything... just the music teacher and our teacher arguing about who got the auditorium." Encouraged when he saw Sakura smile, Naruto knew that he had made a new real friend.
"Sakura, where is the new vase that I bought for the flowers?" Sakura looked around and pointed out to the chair that held the yellow roses in the clear vase. "Right... thanks dear, I'm so nervous."
"Nervous of what mom?" Sakura asked.
It had been a week since the Sasuke incident, and thankfully things had quieted down at the school, and once again, Sakura was nothing but the strange girl that no one paid attention to, the weird girl that kept to herself, the girl with no friends. No friends, except for Naruto, that is. Over this past week, Sakura and Naruto had gotten to be close. So close, that whenever their theatre teacher asked them to pair up in class, she and Naruto always turned to each other.
Sakura remembered that two days ago, her car had broken down, and Naruto had stayed behind to help her out. His friends went ahead of him, saying they were going to meet up with someone, but she didn't ask him about it. She felt a bit bad about it later though, so she bought him lunch the next day. "Ramen? Thanks Sakura! You're a great friend!" She smiled at the memory. Ever since she and Naruto started talking, she looked forward to theatre every day. Something that her mom thought was a bit weird, since every afternoon she got home, only to find Sakura waiting for her to tell her about her day in the class, and the crazy things Naruto said or had done. Her mom even teased her about her newfound friendship. Sakura was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the door bell ringing... "Oh my gosh... they're here!" She turned around and watched as her mother ran to look at herself in the mirror, biting back a laugh.
"Mom... you look beautiful." Sakura watched as her mom gave her a doubtful look, in her form fitting black dress. The dress made her breast seem fuller, and her height taller. Sakura watched her, her heart filling with pride, as her turned once more towards the mirror, and ran to answer the door. She started to follow her mom, when she noticed that the yellow flowers were still on the chair, with a smile on her face, she picked them up and entered the dining room, where they would be eating that night, and set the roses on the center of the table. 'Perfect'
"Sakura!" She turned around to see her mom standing in the door way.
"Is he here?" she asked hopefully.
"No."
"No?" Sakura was confused. "Then who was at the door?"
Her mom smiled. "Sakura, I want you to meet Madara's son, Sasuke." She opened the door a bit more to reveal the dark-haired boy with a smirk placed wickedly on his face.
He took a step forward, smirk widening into a smile. "Hello Sakura, I'm Sasuke," He extended his hand out, walking towards her. "I hope we can be friends." Sakura, in shock, just stared at his outstretched hand, so Sasuke took it upon himself to reach down, and grip her hand in a firm handshake, tightening his hand around hers more than necessary, when she tried to pry her hand from his. Sasuke looked into Sakura's emerald panic filled eyes. "You look beautiful," he turned to look at her mother, who watched the whole scene with a smile, and what seemed like amusement in her eyes, "I can see where your beauty comes from." Andrea smile widened.
"Oh, I know you two are going to get along just fine!" Just then, the phone could be heard ringing from the living room. "That must be your dad," She said, addressing Sasuke. She turned and left Sasuke and Sakura alone.
Sakura watched as Sasuke turned his attention back to her, smirk gone, and a deadly glare in his eyes. Tightening his hold on her hand, she remembered, that he had yet to release her...
She gulped... she was so screwed.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, looking towards the doorway her mother walked out form.
His smirk widened as he took in her fearful expression, he knew that he was the last person she expected to walk through that door. "Didn't you hear Andrea? I'm here for dinner." He cocked his head to the side, the smirk leaving his face as he gave the kitchen a passing glance and focused on the pots and pans that contained food. "Speaking of dinner, did you cook any of these?"
Sakura looked that food in the counter, nodding in confirmation and when she looked back she noticed that he had stepped closer to her and she felt her heart race. Taking a closer look at him she could tell that he was very handsome. His face was smooth without any blemishes, like he was made of marble, and if it weren't for that angry look in his eyes and the farrowed eyebrows, he could be placed in in a museum. Perfection in the flesh. "Yeah, of course, are you hungry?" Maybe is she could distract him long enough, she could escape this situation. He continued to stare at her as he moved a hand to follow the contours of her face. She closed her eyes and felt his cold hand travel down the side of her cheek to her pale neck. He paused there as he felt her heartbeat speed up and he continued his journey. She felt herself tense as his hand made is way lower and stop in the center of her breast and then moved to the right and rolled the nipple between his thumb and index finger causing her to snap out of her shock and using her free hand, pushed him away from her. Eyes wide, she pushed passed him and heard him laugh as she left the kitchen to find the safety of her mother. Leaving him behind to fix jeans so that his erection wasn't so obvious, he soon followed.