CHAPTER ONE

Sakura Haruno groaned as the five minutes morning bell sounded. Carefully, she pulled herself to her feet and stretched.

"Sakura-chan." Hinata Hyuga called her. Sakura blankly looked at her before glancing down to the pure black backpack she was holding out.

"Thanks," she murmured to her best friend. Her voiced sounded monotone and zombie-like even to her own ears.

"Did you do your math homework?" Hinata asked gently. The two began to slowly make their way through the crowded hallways.

"Half of it," Sakura spoke feeling another wave of exhaustion wash over her. She took an eager swig of coffee. Her parents always considered her to be moody and rude in the morning, but Hinata knew better. Sakura was never a morning person. It took her at least an hour to get up in the morning, and a good three more to fully wake up.

"Sakura-chan… your grade is going to take a really nig hit if you keeping skipping out on your homework."

Sakura opened her mouth to tell Hinata to stop lecturing her. That she got enough lecturing on a daily basis from her family. But she quickly cut herself off, letting only a small squeak escape from her lips. Hinata never lectured Sakura, or looked down on her. She…supported Sakura.

"I had a weird dream last night." Sakura skillfully changed the subject. "About him."

"Uchiha-san?"

Sakura's only response was a small nod. She had met Sasuke Uchiha in her freshman English class with Iruka-sensei. But now, as juniors, they never spoke. If their respective best friends, Naruto and Hinata were not dating; they would probably never acknowledge one another's existence.

"It seems like they've been happening more frequently now." Hinata mused. "Maybe they mean something."

"No!"

There was a good reason for Sakura's stout, borderline nasty reply. Sasuke was liked universally through out the school. He had a rude, abrupt nature. One that, if he were anyone else, would have made him the most disagreeable person in the school. But there was a magnetic quality, to Sasuke. An aura of sorts. It made people like him, and strive for his approval. He was also a straight A honors students, and the schools star athlete.

"He's my exact opposite Hinata-chan." Sakura stated, breaking out of her reverie. "He's everything I'm not, everything I never will be." Sakura's voice grew softer, and more timid as she spoke. They paused outside of her first period math class. "I'll see you at lunch. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll meet you at the usual place." Hinata gave her friend a quick squeeze, then jogged off to her own first period physics class.

Reaching under her glasses, Sakura rubbed her eyes and mentally steeled herself for another day of math She entered the classroom, and sat in her seat in the front row, ignoring her brief pain of loneliness. She reached into her bag, and pulled out a notebook, and her half finished homework. Yawning, she reached for her coffee, and took a sip as she looked up at Kakashi-sensei's desk. There a sight that made her gag and choke on her coffee greeted her.

Kakashi-sensei was sitting at his desk speaking to none other then Sasuke Uchiha himself. Kakashi- sensei looked up in surprise at the sound of Sakura's coffing. Sasuke, realizing that Kakashi-sensei's attention was no longer focused on him, turned and shot Sakura a black stare.

"If looks could kill…" Sakura thought, her face growing hot, and eyes growing wide.

"Haruno-san, may I speak with you?" Kakashi-sensei called out.

"Hai." Sakura slowly unfolded herself from her desk, and strolled hesitantly up to his desk. "Yes sir?"

Sakura tired to maintain eye contact with her teacher, but continually looked down, or over at Sasuke. She felt her face grow even hotter as she felt his intense eyes unleash their power on her.

"I noticed that your grades have been dropping. I've spoken with your past teachers, and they all reassure me you're a solid B range student. I realize that the material we are studying this year is difficult, so I've decided to assign you a tutor. Uchiha-san here is my top student., and he has agreed to act as you tutor. You will meet for a minimum of one hour a day, for seven days a week. When I feel that you've shown enough improvement, we'll begin to minimize the hours until you don't need a tutor at all. I expect you two to work very closely together."