All Naruto characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and the song 'Beautiful Girls' is owned by Sean Kingston.
Chapter 1-My Brother, My Mother
From Sasuke's Point of View
No matter how many times I looked at the same old school, it still looked dreadful and boring. When I meant 'dreadful' and 'boring', it was not because of the architecture. It was a temple ages ago, and it did not mean anything to me. But my heart beat louder and louder every step I made to the class. Do you know why? Even though I have been going to the same school for approximately seven years, there is not much difference in my life. Going to school means going to study, but studying in the same school everyday would not be fun. At least, not fun for me. The purpose of me being in a school had always been the same for me: study, study, study. I was on tenterhooks that this year would be the same like last year.
However, my life would not be the same again after that fateful day.
After giving my name to the disciplinarian whose name is Miss Tsunade, I sat at the most front of the class. My father had bought me a new pair of spectacles, enabling me to take the back seat of the class, but I had always preferred to face my teachers. I could study better and pay more concentration in class; though I hate studying as much as the other pupils, I tried my best to be the top of the class. My brother did not have the same reason of facing the teachers. 'Facing the teachers' for him means he could easily pull pranks on any unwary teachers. He told Mr.Orochimaru that his trousers were unzipped. In the end, he had to write 100 times of 'Mr.Orochimaru zipped his trousers' on the board for telling a 'white lie'.
His name is Itachi Uchiha, by the way.
Miss Tsunade, the tallest teacher in the school, took a deep breath before speaking loudly,
"Class! Welcome back to the Greenhouse Academy! Sit comfortably and…"
A few typical girls giggled at the word 'Greenhouse', interrupting Miss Tsunade's speech. She gave a cold stare at them, before she continued,
"Kill all your stupidity before moving forward to this year. Do you hear me?"
There was a long pause. A beautiful butterfly was flying gracefully near the blackboard.
"DO YOU HEAR ME?" Miss Tsunade roared.
"Yes, teacher!" Everyone chorused, including me. I was shaken by her coldness. She really means 'business' this time.
"Good!" She clapped her hands and walked to the blackboard, her green scarf flowed freely across her thin neck.
"I am Tsunade and I am your Maths teacher this year. Those who cannot spell my name, keep your eyes peeled."
Miss Tsunade scribbled her name on the blackboard clumsily. Naruto, my best friend who was sitting next to me in the same desk, chanted the alphabets softly: "T-S-U-N-A-D-E."
"I would not forgive any student who spelt my name wrongly, whether it is on purpose or not on purpose. Talking about 'purpose', Mr.Uchiha, you have a new 'purpose' in this class. Stand up."
My mind became blank. Naruto nudged my arm impatiently, whispering, "Miss Tsunade told you to stand up, you know."
I stood up, my heart throbbing dramatically.
"Mr.Uchiha?" The 'lioness' said curtly, "Is the seat next to you vacant?" Her long bony finger pointed at Naruto's chair. Naruto's blue eyes widened, his body shivering in fear with a perplexed state of mind.
"Naruto's sitting there…" I said, stating the obvious.
"Then Naruto has to move," Miss Tsunade said with finality, "Mr. Uzumaki. Sit at the back, please."
Naruto, as fast as lighting, rushed to take a seat at the back corner far away from me. I lamented softly, "Oh no…"
I sat down, feeling defeated. For your information, that was the first time Naruto and I had to sit apart far away from each other. What is Miss Tsunade planning to do?
"Perfect," Miss Tsunade smiled wickedly and called out, "Sakuno!"
She called a name that is unknown to me. Then came a girl creeping towards Miss Tsunade. The girl wore the most pinkish ribbons on her pink hair, and they seemed to bounce together as she walked. My curiosity sparked, wanting to get a glimpse of her face, but I could not do so. She was covering her face with her school bag, which was also pink in colour.
"Class, she is our new student and her name is Sakuno," Miss Tsunade announced.
"Sakura. S-A-K-U-R-A. Sakura Haruno," The girl muttered silently.
Completely unaware of the stifled giggling that came from the girls, Miss Tsunade spoke coolly,
"Sorry, Miss Haruno. Please take your seat next to Mr.Uchiha, our new class monitor."
My jaw dropped. Is it just me or I heard Miss Tsunade claiming that I am the new class monitor?
"Yes, Mr. Uchiha. You are our new class monitor. Congratulations," Miss Tsunade answered as if she could read my mind. She clapped her hands robotically, followed by the stiff applause of the class. I was in a pool of doubt; Sasuke Uchiha is the class monitor?
"Impossible!" I yelped.
"Possible. I have made you my new class monitor, and I expect you to do as I say. My wish is your command." Her fiery eyes set on mine, "Do-you-hear-me?"
I gulped, unable to say anything.
"DO YOU HEAR ME?" she barked, causing the whole class to shudder.
"Yes, sir! No! Yes, Madam!" I stuttered.
Suddenly, I heard a girlish giggle. Sakura put down her bag and smiled affectionately. Her beautiful face was really pleasing to the eyes, much to my amazement. There was something bewitching in her pale emerald eyes. She gently pulled the chair out from the small desk and sat on it with much poise. Throughout the Algebra lesson, we never talked. Not a word. Not even a single alphabet!
I was glad that the awkward silence was all over when Miss Tsunade said, "You may go for recess now."
O O O
"You're way too beautiful girl. That's why I said it'll never work. You'll make me suicidal, suicidal…"
"Cut it out, Itachi! That's not funny!" I threw my crumpled Mentos wrapper at Itachi, who dodged it expertly. His best friends, Kakashi and Guy, who were sitting at the dusty table in the abandoned store room at school, guffawed at this hilarious sight.
"Missed me! Better luck next time!" Itachi laughed, his chubby face beaming unnaturally at me, "Sasuke, if you like the girl, you better tell her, monitor."
Itachi's eyes lighted up and all I could do is staring at him. How does he know about the girl? Maybe we have telepathy, but we have to be twins to have that kind of supernatural relationship. This is indeed creepy, and the girl is creepier.
"We haven't talked at all," I said briefly.
I was gazing at the dust in the floor, hoping that what I said did not matter much to Itachi. I was praying that he would not take my 'crush' seriously, but the subject on 'crush' was what that mattered to him the most. When he said that he did not like to study, he really meant it. It cannot be debated that Itachi was the most notorious student in the school history. There was once where he cheekily went to test the conductivity of Mr.Jiraiya's wig. When it was returned to Mr.Jiraiya, it had become something like Guy's hair.
"Opps! Too much electron balls in the acid, Mr.Jiraiya."
I remembered Itachi saying that as an explanation to the angry Chemistry teacher. Mr.Jiraiya immediately gave him some extra Chemistry classes. (In the world of Chemistry, there is no such thing as 'electron balls'.) It was not a surprise to me that Itachi gave a stupid answer; at least, he did not say things like 'fish balls' or 'footballs' or any other terms that a seventeen-year-old would never be expected to say.
Itachi is seventeen years old. Unbelievable? Believe it.
"You're sure that Itachi was delivered first?"
I asked my father once, when Itachi was busily turning my worksheets to 'origami aircrafts'. Dad, who was just too engrossed in the newspaper, did not hear me but Itachi did; he gave me this 'what the hell did you just say?' look. I had no choice but to give up and say,
"Because Itachi looks too young to be my 'big' brother…"
It was not really a compliment, but Itachi was happy with it anyway. If only Mum was there, I would have asked her myself: Is Itachi really my elder brother? But that would not happen; my mother had disappeared when I was seven, after divorcing Dad. No one knew what happened. The last thing I remembered about her was the sound of her voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to me. From what my Granny told me, Mom's favourite 'hobby' was singing to me, while bathing me in a bath tub.
"Your mother really loves you," my Granny's croaky voice was still as clear as crystal in my head. That was seven years ago, after Mom left me and Itachi in the lurch.
"If she loves me, why did she have to go? Doesn't she love me anymore?" I cried to my grandmother, who was hugging me closer to her. Her wrinkly hand ran through my dark blue hair comfortingly, but no words of comfort were spoken. I felt that Granny was hiding something from me, something which cannot be told to anyone, like a 'dark secret'.
"You'll find out someday, Sasuke. About the truth. About everything," Granny said with a promising smile, her weak hand patting my shoulder.
The truth would come someday. I just have to wait.
End of Chapter 1
I hope that you like this chapter. Reviews are appreciated. :)