Toying Hearts

Genre: Naruto

By Riyukku Sayuri

Author's Note: This is my first ever Naruto fanfiction and I'm really sorry if the characters are OOC (you should know that it means "out of characterization", but if you don't, there you go), but I'm trying my best. -- This is a Sakura x Sasuke fanfiction and I know that a lot of people out there don't like her. I'm really sorry, but I just believe in the couple! XP Anyways, read and review please! Arigato!

Chapter One

First Love

As Sakura sat on the bench in front of the Hidden Leaf Academy, she felt so lonesome, knowing that she had just cut off that friendship she had with Ino. She felt so desperate to regain their friendship, yet she felt it was never cut off, they were just becoming rivals.

"Haruno Sakura, please report to Hokage-sama," Umino Iruka called.

Sakura looked up from her hands, they were twisted and knotted in a funny way. She stared at her sensei and got up, walking stiffly to him.

"Oh don't worry, Hokage-sama just has a couple of tips for your intelligent brain. I will be right by you," he said gently, giving her a pat on the back.

"Sit down," Hokage-sama said coldly, his eyes staring into the beyond.

Sakura hesitantly sat down, her knees wobbly. She had never seen or heard Hokage-sama so cold-sounding and so harsh-looking. She took a deep breath, knowing that Iruka-sensei's hand was on her shoulder, letting her know that he was still right there, right next to her.

"So I hear you have done excellently well on the exam to become a genin," he said, staring her in the eye. Sakura gulped.

"Hai," she replied shakily. She knew he could sense it.

"Do you want a little spoiler of who Iruka has put you with for your team?" he asked, his voice no longer as harsh or cold.

"O... okay," she stammered.

"You will be in team number seven. Your leader, Uzumaki Naruto. Your teammate, Uchiha Sasuke. Got that? Now go."

Sakura could barely get enough strength to pull herself up and out of seat, Iruka having to grasp her right arm to get her steadily on her feet.

Why did he give me a spoiler? He knows that Iruka-sensei will tell us today. Does he know something about me that I myself don't? Sakura wondered hesitantly.

"Congratulations for graduating, my students. Now go off and make me proud. But before that, you are assigned teams," he said, going off with the teams.

Sakura sat between Naruto and Sasuke. She didn't dare look over to him. She only wondered what Sasuke might say if she brought up something – anything. Would he look coldly at her and not reply at all? She didn't want to annoy him or "get in the way", knowing that Sasuke could beat her up in one punch. Her weakness? Him, obviously.

"Team number seven. The team's genin leader, Uzumaki Naruto. His teammates, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura," Iruka said.

Sakura looked over to where Ino sat. She could tell Ino was jealous. Her face was expressionless yet her eyes showed the anger and fury within her. Inside, Sakura's heart was squealing for delight, yet at the same time feeling terrible that she left Ino empty-handed.

Ino, gomen. I... I... I just wanted Sasuke to like me. I never meant to break the friendship, but it happened that way, and we're rivals now. Sakura thought. She turned to look at Sasuke. His eyes were black and cold-looking. They looked almost frozen.

She then turned her attention towards Iruka, waiting for him to dismiss them. She couldn't help but think why she fell in "love" with Sasuke. Was it really the good looks every female shinobi was talking about? Was it? She dared not answer herself, fearing that if she came to a conclusion, she'd lose this feeling forever.

"You are dismissed," Iruka said roughly, a cough coming onto him.

The genins stood up and got out of their seats, meeting their new teammates. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were sitting next to each other, and so it wasn't much of a big deal since they already knew pretty much everything about each other.

"Sasuke-kun, should we... should we go meet our new sensei? Iruka-sensei had said something about meeting up with our new sensei, you know," Sakura said shyly, surprised by how quiet her voice was.

"Hm," he said, practically ignoring her. Sakura stood there, her eyes in shock, yet her heart somehow was not surprised by how cold his reply was.

"It's okay, Sakura. C'mon, let's go meet the new sensei. I betcha he rocks ass!" Naruto said excitedly, shooing Sakura's fears away.

"Naruto! Stop being dumb!" Sakura laughed, then noticed Sasuke staring cold-eyed at them. She gulped.

Sakura stared out into the beyond. It was about a month of being with her teammates and sensei, and now she was a chuunin.

"Sakura-chan, do you want something to eat?" Naruto asked, noticing her unhappy eyes.

He's... not hyper? How... can that be? What... why...? Sakura thought hesitantly. Yet she noticed that she hadn't eaten all morning and her stomach wanted to growl on and on.

"Um... sure, Naruto," Sakura said slowly, looking at him.

She stood up, and stared at Naruto, who got up from his crouched position and stared her hard in the eye.

He's so... serious. Why?

"So you've finally got her," Kakashi said, resting his head in his right hand's palm.

"Hehe, well, I guess she was hungry," he said, scratching his head as usual.

Sakura could merely stare and wonder. Stare and wonder why he was acting so serious. Then she turned to Sasuke. She caught him before he could turn away. He was... looking at her. She could see how sad and alone his black eyes were. They were dark and black, shrouded with mystery. What could she be thinking? Sasuke... her... her first love...

a/n: Yah, Naruto doesn't act serious, but you'll see why later on! Yup, yup! Later on! Read and review please! Gomen nasai for the strange OOC, this is my first Naruto fanfiction and I'm trying to make it fit their personalities correctly. Arigato for reading!