The Fan which Controls the Fire
We keep ourselves a mystery,
but we provide the clues.
So the rest is up to you
and don't forget to check the obvious.
We are so serious.
So I guess it comes down
to how curious you can be.
-Cute Is What We Aim For
Chapter 1
Ouch. Training made me so sore today. I can feel my muscles screaming as I'm walking right now. Oh well, I must endure it. I still have a long way to go until I get home. Better yet, I'll run. Hopefully mom and dad are home early for my birthday.
I don't remember the weather being this gloomy earlier. Strange clouds drift across the sky, creating shadows on the ground. The sounds of my soles hitting the floor are almost rhythmic. Buildings rush by as I sprint faster. The wind hits me stronger.
What is this disorienting feeling? Police officers? At our house at this hour?
"Hi Sasuke, I'm terribly sorry. Something has happened."
What do you mean? I'm speechless as I stare blankly at these familiar faces. They tower over me with somber expressions, hesitating to tell me the news. Finally, one of them speaks up.
"Your parents. They-"
I don't hear the rest. I can't hear anything now. I run to see for myself. It can't be. I refuse to believe it.
I sprint as fast as I can, and then faster than that as I pick up even more speed. The rush of buildings making my head spin. The piercing wind sending chills down my spine.
Suddenly, I'm hit with a blast of fire. Fire. It's all I see now. Larger than I could possibly imagine. It beckons to me. I see an outline of my family standing before me. This inferno, they're trapped in it. Even though I want to charge inside, I take slow and staggering steps. The flames flutter close to my skin, wanting to slice me with their red tentacles. They lure me closer, reaching out for me as I reach for them. I'm so close now.
What? No... Someone is holding me back, but I struggle with all my might. I'm kicking and squirming as he carries me away so easily. I think I'm screaming, but no sound is coming out.
The man is trying to say something to me. I look up and see him mouth, "Just relax. Everything will be okay."
No. It never will be... It never can be.
Sasuke woke up in a cold sweat, eyes tired from reliving the same dream every night. He moved to a sitting position and held a hand to his head. Letting out a small grunt, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom where he kept the aspirin. There, he dry-swallowed two pills before getting ready for school.
It's a man. No, it's a woman. Is it his girlfriend? No, it couldn't be. This is Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura would know if he had one. Unless he lives a secret life. Could he possibly? No, his stalker girls would know and then the entire female teen population would know and that means Sakura would know.
She leaned over a little more to get a better look. His pencil strokes were beautiful, each line a masterpiece of its own. Who knew he was such a great artist? Well she knew, but after all these years, it still seemed impossible for someone to be so good at everything, which was probably the reason why so many girls fawn over him.
Maybe if she got a little closer, she could... Thud, she fell face first on the floor. Her cheeks flushed red, from both the impact and the embarassment. She laughed nervously as she got to her knees and brushed at her skirt. When she was done, Sakura looked up and made eye contact with Sasuke. She was so close to him that she was probably breathing on his arm. Gulp, his expression was unreadable, stoic as always; however, she could tell from his eyes that he wasn't too happy with her, not happy at all. Sakura looked away quickly, turning as red as a tomato and her heart beating as fast as a hummingbird's.
Wrong move, the girls were glaring at her for stealing Sasuke's attention. Oh well, all's fair in love and war, not that she won any battles today. With her head low, Sakura scrambled back to her seat before Sasori Sensei and Deidara Sensei realized what was going on. Phew, they didn't seem to care, but they were heading towards her direction.
The two teachers always contradicted one another, confusing everyone to no end. Their school scheduled 'fun' homerooms for the students, letting them relax before starting their academic subjects. Sakura was placed in a combined class, which meant fitting fifty students in one room under the supervision of two opposing art teachers.
Seated on the other side of Sakura, Naruto was confronted by Sasori Sensei and then immediately intercepted by Deidara Sensei. Poor Naruto, Sakura thought. With squinted eyes and a cocked head, she could tell that Naruto was having a mental battle about whose advice to listen to, which reminded her... Crap, she hadn't gotten much of her own done. She was admiring Sasuke sketch for so long when she should have been doing her own work. Nah, who was she kidding? It was totally worth it.
P.E. was her least favorite class of the day. However, she and Lee volunteered to stay behind and help Gai Sensei put away the volleyball equipment. It cut into lunchtime, but she was on a diet anyway.
Lee decided to have lunch with Gai Sensei, so Sakura had to go to the cafeteria by herself. When she walked out of the lockerroom, she heard a constant pounding noise. It sounded like it was coming from the weight room. Being the curious girl that she was, she turned the corner to investigate.
Sakura dropped to the floor at the sight of a certain raven-haired individual. She'd been falling for him a lot, literally. Slowly, her fingers crept to the window, and the rest of her body followed suit, stopping when she caught a look inside.
He was hitting a punching bag, arms and legs working systematically and skillfully. Sakura immediately noticed that he indeed was fully clothed, not that she wanted to see him without a shirt on. Or did she? Anyhow, she was in luck; he was wearing a white tee, which she assumed he changed into because he was wearing a black one earlier. Underneath, she could see his muscles flex with every punch. It was almost the same thing as seeing him shirtless. She wouldn't say he was ripped, but he was perfectly toned and model-worthy. She caught herself in her daze and mentally slapped herself for being so creepy. Well, who could blame the girl? She had a front row seat to watching the hottest guy on earth work out.
Realizing how concentrated he was, Sakura felt a sudden wave of guilt for stalking him. She decided to give him the privacy he needed. Little did she know that as she made her escape, he stopped mid-punch and turned to the window. Sakura had left just in time.
He was sure someone had been there, but he didn't mind as long as the person didn't bother him. He did, however, see a flick of pink hair. Indifferent, he continued prepping for tomorrow until the bell signaled the end of lunch.
He walked alone in the halls, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his backpack strap slung over one shoulder. No one would dare approach him, except for the occasional brave female and well, Naruto. Speaking of the blonde, Sasuke had his next class with him. He walked in and sat in his assigned seat, which was by the wall near the middle of the row. Shortly after, Naruto plopped into the seat next to him. Naruto knew better than to annoy him with idle chatter, so he made small talk with Kiba about how things were going at the animal shelter. Of course, by the time class had started and Jiraya Sensei had gotten into his lecture, he couldn't handle being silent for so long.
"How do you not notice those girls looking at you?" Naruto exclaimed exasperated, "They're practically drooling at the sight of you."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, staring at the front of the classroom.
"Any guy would kill for that, you bakayaro," Naruto mumbled and began doodling on his notepaper.
Sasuke, on the other hand, paid close attention in class, even though he had already finished the assigned novel and closeread it carefully. He was just a good student. He needed to be if he wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps. He also didn't have time for distractions.
Sakura loved Biology class, for several reasons. One, it was taught by her favorite teacher Tsunade Sensei. Two, she aspired to have a profession in the medical field. Three, it was a subject she could proudly say she was good at. Dare she admit it? Yes, she was probably just as good as Sasuke or even better.
Okay, maybe the main reason she loved Bio so much was because Sasuke was in her lab group. The third member of their team was Naruto, so she and Sasuke did all the work. It was surprising how classwork could bring them together, but Sakura definitely felt the bond and connection between the two of them. Unfortunately, it just wasn't reciprocated and Sakura was willing to accept that. It's true though that she didn't know a lot about him, but he was intriguing and she had liked him for as long as she could remember. She wasn't going to give up so easily.
Sakura rushed to class early so that she could chat with Tsunade Sensei about the recent biomedical technology. She heard whispers of "teacher's pet" as people piled in, which hurt her feelings, but she was too stubborn to actually back down. When she saw her lab partners walk in, she practically teleported to her seat.
"Hi Sasuke!" Sakura piped, smiling widely.
Impassive, Sasuke looked at her and raised an eyebrow slightly as if he was waiting for her to say more. She took it as his way of saying hi back, but grew nervous as he didn't stop staring at her.
"Umm so are you ready for the test today?" she stammered.
He nodded, which for him was a minuscule tilt of the chin.
She laughed nervously, wondering why she had to try talking to him. She knew how unresponsive he could be. All her attempts at getting him to open up have failed.
Seeming to understand that she had nothing to say or was just somewhat bored, Sasuke looked away.
Relieved, Sakura let out the breath she'd been holding in.
The test was so easy that Sasuke finished twenty minutes early and Sakura finished a few seconds after him. He picked up his backpack and asked to be dismissed early. Because he was one of her top students, Tsunade Sensei let him go. With quick strides, he walked out of class and through the halls. Smoothly with one swift motion, he jumped the fence and off campus he was.
Then he made his way to his motorcycle, which was parked in the student lot. He grabbed his helmet and put it on before taking off down the street. It was a fairly short ride, especially on his bike.
When he took off his helmet, he smirked. With every step he took, the wood creaked beneath his shoes. Finally, he made it to the end. He jumped over and onto the railing. He had a perfect view of the sea.
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