Hi everyone! So I haven't decided the rating for this story, and I hope you weren't too put off by my summary…be sure to review after reading this. Hope it isn't too bad for a first try. I intend to make this a long fic if possible, but it could take time! Please enjoy…

"Passengers on flight AZ 617, please prepare for boarding in ten minutes. Elderly and adults with children proceed first, please."

The pleasantly emotionless voice of the flight attendant blared overhead, only reminding Sakura that she would soon be stuck on a 7 hour flight with pretentious pretty boy, aka Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura grumbled under her breath before slouching in her seat, trying her best to ignore said nuisance, who sat next to her, exhibiting an equal lack of enthusiasm for the trip. The two of them must have been radiating loads of negative energy, because all of their fellow flight passengers to Rome, Italy seemed to catch their bad vibe and instinctively steer clear. From a bystander's point of view, one would see an unlikely pair who seemed to stick out for obvious reasons. Both had the appearance of being quite young, maybe just transitioning out of the teen years. The girl had light coral pink hair, the curls framing a perfectly symmetrical face. Her eyes were a fresh emerald color. Her exotic (and natural) looks made it difficult for most to tell that she was Japanese.

Sitting next to this beauty was an equally attractive young man. Most girls would probably call his looks "chiseled and refined". Sasuke Uchiha, son of Fugaku Uchiha, boss of one of the largest firms in Japan. Despite the constant frown on his face, Sasuke still managed to capture the hearts of all the girls around him. Never mind the fact that he was rich, his looks would have been enough to garner popularity with the opposite gender. But, as Sakura had once said all those years ago as a younger and more naïve girl, he had a bad case of chicken butt hair, arrogance, and a bad attitude overall. Yet there was no denying that he was an extremely attractive guy; no wonder girls conspicuously gravitated toward where the pair sat in the crowded terminal, hovering at a distance to occasionally peek over.

Unfortunately, this natural chick magnet of sorts mean that wherever Sakura went with this guy, she would be shot full of holes by the drilling stares of jealous girls, who tried to figure out her exact relationship with their eye-candy. If Sakura could, she would stand up on her seat and pull out a microphone, to announce to every person in the terminal the following thoughts which often ran through her head when she found herself in a similar situation:

"I hate this bastard sitting next to me more than anything in the world. The only reason I'm going on this trip is to please my parents, who threaten to make my life miserable once I find a job…If anyone wants to take this arrogant prick off my hands, then be my guest! I've got plenty of better things to do than waste my precious time with him!"

Of course, that would never happen.

Sakura groaned, making no attempt to mask her exasperation.

"Hey, it's not like I'm having fun here either. No one wants to spend their time with a bad tempered woman." In the distance, a few girls swooned at the sound of Sasuke's naturally seductive voice. Who knew how seductive he could be if he really tried? Too bad Sakura was naturally immune to his charms (which were obviously lost on her). She ignored his comment and continued to stare ahead, waiting for the chance to board the plane as quickly as possible.

Exactly why was all of this happening to her? A pretty girl like her should be out doing things she actually liked, trying new things and searching for a place in the world. After all, with college over and plenty of job opportunities to look into, there was no doubt in Sakura's mind that this trip was a waste of time. Being a legal adult, she should be able to walk out of this situation, right?

Right?

2 days ago

"What. A. Joke." Sakura emphasized every word by slamming her fist against the table before her father. "Is this what you mean by 'treating me like an adult on equal terms'? Why do I have to go on a trip with that annoying bastard?" Steam was practically streaming out of her head right now, but her father still managed to appear calm. He laced his fingers together and appeared to be contemplating his answer. Before she could go on, Mr. Haruno began to speak.

"Sakura, look at it this way, and maybe you won't have to suffer as much on this trip: This is the last thing I'll ever make you do. After this, you're free to do whatever you want with no interference from me. It is paramount that my company retains good relations with Sasuke's father's firm. You know there's no other legal firm who's more adept at representing us. As unreasonable as Fugaku can get, I know he means well when he suggested a bonding trip between you and Sasuke." At this, Sakura snorted in a very unlady-like way. She crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest, adopting a posture that clearly said I'm not buying anything you're saying, and there's nothing you can do to make me comply to your wishes. Mr. Haruno was very good at reading his daughter's body language. He sighed lightly before speaking again. "Well, if that's the way you're going to behave, I have no choice but to…assert my authority over your life. Let's just say that if you don't go on this trip and try to improve your relationship with Sasuke, life out in the real world is going to be tough for you…especially when no one will hire you."

Sakura's jaw practically fell off her face. "Are you threatening me? Your own daughter?" Her father's threat was not to be taken lightly. Being the boss of a company who was number one in Japan's film industry (a/n: sorry guys I couldn't think of anything better.), Mr. Haruno had plenty of influence over other people…enough to ruin the new life Sakura wanted to start, apart from all the attention drawn to her by her father's job. Regaining some of her composure, Sakura quickly closed her mouth. "Dad, why are you being so insistent? Never mind the fact that Sasuke and I are like oil and water…You know we've never been able to get along. Why don't you just give up trying to get us to be chums? It's never going to happen…I hate that guy with a burning passion that will never die down!" After this passionate speech, Mr. Haruno looked at his daughter with a very concerned look on his face. His thoughts seemed to wander—something that seemed to happen a lot these days, especially when he got into a fight with Sakura. What was up with her father? What could possibly be bothering him? He always said there was nothing, but she wasn't entirely convinced. Sakura was dropping back into these thoughts, but immediately snapped back to the present situation when she heard her dad speak.

"I'm sorry, but it's final, Sakura. I want you to go on this trip. Think of it as a little mission: improve our company's relations by trying to be on good terms with Fugaku's son, Sasuke. I've already booked the plane tickets to Italy…it's better if we give you some time along with him in a foreign country, where you can't run off with some of your other friends." He ignored the scowl on Sakura's face, handing her a ticket before waving her away. "I'm tired, Sakura. Your father wants to be alone now…It's best if you get to your packing as soon as possible."

And with that, Sakura's plans for the next 2 weeks was decided.

Back to the present

Sakura was obviously still mad at her dad; she hadn't talked to him since that conversation she had with him. She refused to contact him until he retracted his orders to go on this trip…which probably wasn't going to happen since she was boarding the plane with Sasuke right now. Well, if that's how it was going to be, she simply would not try to interact with said person, and try to get by in Italy making as little contact with him as possible. It seemed like a good plan to her. Especially since their feelings of strong dislike were basically mutual.

With this decided, Sakura decided to stand up and get in line. At the same moment, Sasuke tried to stand up as well. Unfortunately, Sakura was hefting a very large travel bag which got in the way. He bumped into the bag, making her drop the bag. The contents spilled across the floor.

Great. Thanks a lot.

Her look said it all. Sasuke made a sound in the back of his throat that implied impatience. "If you tried to be a little more efficient when packing, maybe you wouldn't end up with a problem like this, Sakura." He muttered these words as he bent to pick up some of the things.

Unfortunately, Sakura caught these words and immediately went into really really pissed at Sasuke mode. "What did you say? Why don't you speak a little louder so I can hear what you're trying to tell me. What I want to bring is none of your business. And thanks for making a big mess just as we're about to board the plane." She was exceedingly snappish today, Sasuke noticed. It wasn't that he wanted to egg her on, but he couldn't help but reply to her harsh words.

"Sakura, I understand that women seem to…need a lot more things than men do when they travel, but what you have here is ridiculous. How many packs of gum do you really need?" He made a point by holding up four packs of gum before dropping them into the bag. "A lot of this is totally unnecessary." He did not try to look up after delivering these words of wisdom. He just waited for the response he knew he would soon get. And he was right.

"You think this is about the separate genders? You think I pack too much because I'm a woman?" Sakura was practically seething now. Everyone was staring at them by now, but she really didn't care. Plus, she was secretly mortified because Sasuke was nonchalantly picking up things like tampons or pads that had also dropped out of her travel bag, and trying to put them back. Personal items like that should never be seen by anyone other than herself…this was obviously all his fault. And now he was trying to lecture her on how to pack right? This was just too much. In an effort to justify at least the packs of gum, she snapped back at him, "And I need the gum because I can't function without it. No one wants to walk around with bad breath like you." Which was entirely false because he always smelled of spearmint or something masculine. But that wasn't the point. She snatched her bag away from Sasuke before stuffing the remaining things back in her bag. She made a point to push past him and enter the boarding line.

Sasuke simply shook his head, exasperated by the embarrassing encounter. It was obvious that this trip was going to be a long one, and it hadn't got off to a good start. There was no knowing how the rest of their trip would look like, but it certainly couldn't be good. He retrieved his things from his seat before entering the boarding line as well.

The next 7 hours on the plane would be hell.

TO BE CONTINUED

Okay. Chapter 1 finished. I hope it wasn't too bad? This is a first fanfic that I've ever written. I just feel inspired after a recent trip to Italy…which explains the random location to be of this fanfic…please bear with me as I offer up all this annoying background info. The action will soon start a few chapter later, but please give feedback as to the quality of the writing. And don't be afraid to call me out on any technical mistakes including information in the story.

Thanks for reading! And please, no flames. Remember, always constructive criticism. If you hate it, don't read or give me constructive feedback so I can change it so you won't hate it anymore.

I'll try to update as much as possible….hopefully all goes well and this story won't be dropped!