A/N: Hi there!

So, this FanFic is based on this really cute manga I read; I basically took the plotline and added a lot of details that go more in-depth on the story. I'm telling you this in advance so I won't get a million accusations of plagiarism haha.

Title: 24 Colors

Summary: Sakura loves to paint. So when she enters Konoha High, she immediately joins the art club with her friend Hinata. However, there are only two members—the mysterious Sasuke and the lively Naruto. Sakura slowly finds herself falling for Sasuke. But what's he not telling her?

Rating: T

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina

Warnings: Characters are a bit OOC (for example, Hinata's unusually energetic and Sakura's the shy, unassuming one). And like I said, this is based on this super cute shoujo manga I stumbled upon. If you want to know more about the manga, leave a review and I'll get back to you. Though this first chapter is mostly directly following the manga's plotline, the other chapters will deviate from it a bit more.

Also, I'm writing in first-person-POV because of the way the story is written, and to best express the feelings of the main characters. It may sound a bit choppy at times, but please bear with me!

Disclaimer: Naruto is 100% not mine!

"Mornin', Sakura-chan!" A dark-haired girl with sparkling lavender eyes ran towards me.

"Good morning…Hinata."

"Sakura," Hinata admonished, "What's with those clothes? It's finally our high school debut, and you're wearing a t-shirt and sweats?"

I shrugged, my pink hair wafting in the morning breeze. "Hinata, you know I smear my clothes with paint all the time. There's no use buying pretty clothes."

"That's Sakura for you! Still carrying around paints and a sketchbook on the first day of high school. What a waste—and you're such a beauty!"

"Ehh?"

We strolled along peacefully, each of us lost in our respective thoughts.

My name is Sakura Haruno, and I'm 15. Today is my first day at Konoha High. I chose the same high school as my childhood friend, Hinata Hyuuga. We'd been friends ever since preschool, and, while I had my sights set on a prestigious art school, I didn't want to abandon her.

"Wow!" Hinata breathed, taking in Konoha High.

The school consisted of two buildings-a rather old, western structure used for clubs and activities, and a more modern building for the majority of the actual classes. An orchard of cherry blossom trees lined the brick pathway leading to the school.

"Look, look! Sakura-chan, the cherry blossoms are so beautiful!"

I smiled a little, taking in the sight of an energetic Hinata snapping photos of the cherry blossoms as they drifted off with the wind. The orchard really was gorgeous, though; she was right about that.

As Hinata danced around, I became lost in my thoughts. If I were to paint this scene right now, would it be the azure sky above me? Or the pink cherry blossoms swirling in the breeze? No, I decided, making a rectangle with my thumbs and forefingers. I'll mix bubblegum pink with pearl white for the blossoms.

Yep, a storm of flowers.

The start of something new…that would be the story—the hidden theme—behind the painting.

Something strange caught my attention. "Hinata, someone's coming."

"Huh? Who?" She stared in the direction of the beginning of the pathway. "Eh? Why is everyone opening up a way for him to pass through? Is it a teacher? An idol? A troublemaking boss of delinquents?"

I don't think delinquent bosses exist in this day and age… I thought amusedly to myself, starting to crack up. But my laughter stopped just as quickly as it'd begun.

As he came closer, I detected a faint scent cloaking the boy everyone had allowed to pass. The smell was strangely familiar, almost like—

"Oil paints?" I murmured softly.

The paint-stained boy stared at me, his onyx eyes boring into mine. He was carrying a large sketchbook.

As he passed by, I swore I heard a faint laugh.

Hinata pursed her lips. "I see! His clothes are all paint-smeared, so everyone stepped aside. That's pretty mean…But that aside, Sakura, that's the first time I've seen someone carry around a sketchbook other than you!"

I was still staring after the mysterious boy, my emerald eyes boring holes in the back of his shirt. Did he smile at me?

All I knew for sure was that for a second…our eyes had met.

His eyes were so dark; they made me feel as if I were being sucked into some black hole.

Hinata grinned knowingly. "I wonder if he's in the art club!"

"Huh?"

"Come to think of it, I heard there's a meeting in the auditorium where the clubs explain their activities." Hinata threw her arms around me happily. "If there's an art club, you should totally join!"

I stood uncertainly. An art club? There hadn't been one in my junior high school, but it seemed logical for there to be one in high school.

I decided I wanted to join it…the art club.

Hinata dragged me to the large auditorium, where they'd finished the sports clubs announcements and were starting the second half of the introductions.

An intercom crackled over the buzz of the crowded room. "Now we have the cultural clubs introduce themselves. First up, the art club."

"Oh, how lucky! We're just in time!" Hinata exclaimed, pushing forward in the crowd.

Art club…I stood on the very tip of my toes, straining to see over the horde of people. There was a dark-haired guy standing on stage with a microphone, hesitating.

It was that boy.

Hinata said something about coincidences, but I wasn't paying attention; every part of me was focused on the handsome boy standing on that large wooden stage. As the crowd began to calm down, he spoke curtly.

"My name's Uchiha Sasuke, and I'm the representative of the art club. I don't actually have an explanation for our activities. It's just a club where we draw and paint. We're not interested in stupid people looking to socialize, so we welcome only those with interests. Thank you."

A large 'ehhhh' rumbled through the mass of people. A group of girls who'd been eagerly glancing at him rolled their eyes and started talking about a popular boy band instead.

I continued watching him however, excitement washing over me like a tidal wave. I finally had a name to match his face.

Just as the indifferent boy started walking away, another attractive guy strode onto stage angrily and whacked Sasuke on the head, causing him to drop the microphone. I winced at the sharp burst of static as the microphone hit the ground. "Baka! We won't be able to get new members this way, you coldhearted teme!"

Sasuke looked up, an irritated expression claiming his normally blasé façade. Before the blonde newcomer could react, the fuming Uchiha punched him.

As the two began grappling, the mob of students stirred up. Several boys yelled obscene taunts and a chant of 'Fight! Fight!' made its way across the room.

In the midst of their battle, the blonde grabbed the fallen microphone and grinned energetically. "Let me correct the teme; we're the art club! The club was founded last year by the two of us, so there're only two members, me, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sasuke the baka! It's very lonely with only guys, so we welcome all cute girls! Everyone interested in the arts and me should join!"

Half the girls in the auditorium blushed, shocked. As the two handsome art club members wrestled each other off the stage, chatter began spreading. It was obvious that a club consisting of two hot guys was the place to be, whether or not they liked drawing.

However, I was more shocked to see a reddened Hinata. She was suddenly calm as she mused, "That sounds interesting…Maybe I'll join the art club as well…"

Eh? What was wrong with Hinata?

The next club, the dance club, was introduced, but most of the girls were filing out of the auditorium. Hinata and I did the same.

"Sakura, hurry up!" Hinata piped up, cheerful again. I was glad the blushing episode was over; the usual Hinata was so much more fun to be around.

"Where are we going?" I followed my friend in the direction of the club application booths.

"To apply for the art club, of course. Those two quite stood out, so everyone is thinking of joining the art club! If we don't hurry, we might not get in!"

Why is she so hyper about this? I speculated to myself as I jogged alongside Hinata. It can't be that she—

Hinata suddenly screamed in frustration, successfully bringing my head out of the clouds. "Argh!" She addressed the large group of girls crowding around the art club booth. "I knew it; they're lining up for the art club! We'll never make it in time!"

A blonde guy stood up, towering over the crowd of enthusiastic girls. I recognized him as Naruto, the guy who was fighting with Sasuke.

"Ah," Hinata exclaimed, remembering him as well. "That's the guy from just now!"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the swarm quieted down. The influence of a handsome guy really was amazing. "I'm terribly sorry, but I discussed it with the teme and, since there are so many people applying for our club, we have to hold auditions for those who want to enter the club!" Naruto wiped his eyes melodramatically. "And we'd gathered so many pretty girls here too…"

A wave of shock swelled through the crowd. An audition?

I relaxed. An audition seemed fun. It would also be a good way to pick out the truly talented people from the mass of lovesick groupies.

Naruto continued speaking, although many of the girls started muttering amongst themselves. "Everyone, please draw whatever you like," he held up a sheet of ordinary white printer paper, "On this paper! The best artists will be chosen!"

Hinata panicked. "No way! What should I do, Sakura? I'm not like you; I can't draw!"

Annoyed chatter spread like wildfire, and the group slowly began dispersing. A minute passed, and everybody else was gone, leaving me, Hinata, and the two art club members.

"No wayyyyy," A depressed Naruto wailed, putting his head on the desk attached to the booth. "And we finally had some applicants too!"

"Show me that sketchbook." A rough voice commanded from behind me. I whirled around, only to see Sasuke. When had he gotten so close to me?

"Show me." He asked—no, it was more like demanded—again. His onyx eyes were once again glued to mine.

I was frozen. Memories of a past trip to an African safari with my father surfaced. I recalled seeing a lion stalking an alarmed deer. This must be how the deer felt, trapped in the lion's steely gaze, I contemplated, feeling indeed like prey.

My reaction was so sluggish that, before I knew it, Sasuke had grabbed my pink felt-covered sketchbook from beneath my arm—brushing against my waist as he did so—and nonchalantly flipped it open.

"Wait!" I called, making a lunge for my precious sketchbook. "Uhm, I'm really not very good at drawing…"

I was about to make another attempt to grab it back, but the astonished look on Sasuke's face stopped me. Naruto peered over his shoulder, looking cheerfully surprised.

Finally, Sasuke smiled. It was the first real smile I'd seen—in fact, it was the first openly happy expression I'd seen on him. "Do you love drawing?"

I was momentarily taken aback. Should I answer that? Would he tease me, or maybe think I'm strange? I'd never told anyone other than Hinata about my passion for art before. "Well, I'm…not good at talking…so I can't express my feelings into words very well…"

Taking a deep breath and looking at Hinata's sparkling, encouraging eyes for support, I continued. I was aware that my cheeks were now a flaming red, so I squeezed my eyes shut.

"But when I draw, I have the feeling that I can really convey what I feel. I…love drawing and painting."

"And you?" Naruto curiously eyed Hinata, who suddenly looked uneasy.

"Um…My name's Hinata! I'm not a natural artist like Sakura-chan, but I promise I'll work hard to improve!"

Naruto grinned. "They passed, huh?"

"Then it's decided," Sasuke said. He still looked apathetic, but his voice was a lot lighter. "The members of this year's art club will be us four."

"Four? Only four?" Naruto wailed.

Sasuke glared at him stubbornly. "Paintings are something you draw quietly and privately, right?" He softly handed me back my sketchbook. "I prefer it that way. And anyways, because you started the stupid audition crap, everyone else left."

The four of us glanced at the hordes of people congesting around the other booths. Sasuke was right.

As Naruto protested, Sasuke turned towards Hinata and me. "Follow me. I'll show you to the club room."

We trotted behind him, entering the eerily quiet school. "It's at the corner of the second floor of the old school building." Sasuke explained. His stride was long; I had to nearly jog just to match his swift pace. "It's worn down, but it's pretty elegant."

A calmed-down Naruto grinned and ran ahead of us to open a large wooden door, similar to every other door in the long, dim hallway. "Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan, welcome to our castle."

I stood in the doorway, taking in the room. Large paintings and photographs hung on nearly every inch of the four walls, and six paint-splattered easels stood in the middle of the room. Gigantic piles of paints and brushes rested next to an old rusty metal sink. Chairs were stacked on top of each other in the far corners, and canvases lay abandoned here and there on the floor.

Yes, the room was old and dusty, but it was utterly perfect.

"It has such a retro look!" Hinata shouted blissfully, floating around the room.

Sasuke sat down on a teal stool that had been sitting next to one of the easels. "Alright dobe, I leave the explanations to you."

"You're leaving it to me?" Naruto yelled, outraged. "Geez, you really do everything as you please!"

Sasuke ignored his friend, instead blowing the dust off a set of acrylic paints. Naruto sighed. "Don't let it bother you guys, he's always like that. I swear, he takes lessons on how to act like a grumpy 70-year-old gramps."

Hinata giggled. I smiled a bit, looking at the scowling Sasuke.

"Ah, let's see…" Naruto mused, browsing through one of the many mounds of art supplies. "Well, you can use whatever you like in this room and create whatever you want. The clubroom is open early in the mornings, so come in whenever you like. Feel free to use any materials, too. As you can see, Sasuke and I have gathered quite a lot."

I raised my eyebrows at the understatement. 'Quite a lot' didn't even begin to cover the huge mountains of supplies that filled up a quarter of the room.

Hinata piped up. "Naruto-kun, what are those?" She pointed towards a series of plaster sculptures that looked strangely familiar. Almost like…nude women.

"Oh yes!" Naruto brightened up. "As you can see, I'm into sculpting women! My specialty's the mysteries of the female body. Nice, huh?" He patted one of the semi-finished bodies.

Hinata blushed. As rowdy as she was, she was as innocent as an elementary school student. Things like nude sculptures overwhelmed her.

"And that guy…" Naruto pointed accusingly at Sasuke, who'd picked up a brush and a set of paints and was now fiddling with a large canvas. "…likes painting."

Hearing his name be mentioned, Sasuke turned to us, exposing the painting he'd been working on—a stunning meadow blanketed in sunlight, daisies and bluebells in the long grass waving in the direction the gusty zephyrs wished them to.

I gasped, enchanted. My feet carried me over to the finished canvas. "Amazing! Did you paint this, Sasuke-kun? It's really beautiful!" I stared at the painting. "Such simple colors…" It was true; the majority of the colors he'd used were soft and pale.

Sasuke gazed wordlessly at me. He seemed to want to say something, but turned away from me instead. Eh? What just happened?

"Aah!" Naruto said perkily. "That's right, we haven't formally introduced ourselves yet, have we? What're your names?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke, forcing him into a headlock. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the hottest guy on campus! And this is Uchiha Sasuke, the ugliest guy on campus! We're both sophomores!"

Hinata hastened to introduce us. "Oh, right! I'm Hyuuga Hinata, and this is my best friend Haruno Sakura! We're both freshmen!"

"Yup, yup," Naruto bounced around the room. "I'm sure glad we got some cute new members! Let's be nice to each other, yeah?"

-oOoOo-

I sat on my bed in my favorite zebra-striped pajamas, petting a purring Mr. Whiskers—my adorable orange tabby cat. A desire to sketch suddenly coursed through my veins, and I grabbed my sketchbook and a sharpened pencil from under my bed. As I drew, thoughts flew through my brain.

So many things happened today…I entered high school...and joined the art club with Hinata. But most importantly…Sasuke-kun. He looked at me so many times…and seems so brusque but draws so beautifully. I wonder…what kind of a person he really is?

I looked down at my sketchbook, only to realize I'd drawn Sasuke—the way he looked when he stared so intensely at me. Blushing in embarrassment, I slammed my sketchbook shut furiously and pulled my blankets over my head.

Mr. Whiskers leaped off my bed with a startled meow.

A/N: Sakura is so OOC…Sasuke and Hinata are as well. I think the only one not OOC is Naruto, haha.

Well, please review. I tend to be really insecure; I've even deleted some of my works that didn't have reviews because it felt like no one liked my writing. A single review, no matter how small, makes my day, and I promise I'll reply. Thank you.

~HauntedMoonlight~