Sasuke/Sakura. AU. Sakura Haruno suddenly finds herself involved in a fraternity war without really knowing why.
THE FRAT WAR
CHAPTER 1 – After Six Years
Professor Ibiki Morino looked around the lecture hall. The silence his students had fallen into with just his own stern and fierce disposition appeared to please him greatly. The small smile tugging on the edges of his lips gave him away.
His eyes, after a five-minute long scanning, finally landed on the pink-haired Biology student who sat stiffly on her seat at the last row. What little of smile he had on his lips faltered for a while.
Professor Morino was known around campus as the terror of the Department of Social Sciences in the highly prestigious University of the Leaf. The exams he formulated in the much sought course, Psychology, were notorious for being tricky and challenging. Said exams, however, appeared to be a delicious piece of cake for a certain student.
The unyielding professor narrowed his eyes toward Sakura Haruno's direction, making the latter squirm in her seat.
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Sakura Haruno did not like attention. One of the most embarrassing moments of her life was when she was six. She had peed on her tutu onstage from the nervousness the stares she had received from the eager audiences. From then on, Sakura avoided ballet.
Despite despising attention, she was not stopped from walking up the stage and receiving honors awards from her earlier educations. She had graduated Valedictorian in high school and had received many various scholastic and extra-curricular awards. Sakura was bright and intelligent, which led to her current dilemma.
Her Psychology professor did not leave her from his sight when he finally spoke, almost ten minutes after the start of class.
"I would like to start this class with the results of your midterm examination taken two weeks ago," said Professor Morino. His eyes finally left Sakura, letting her to sigh in relief. "You have disappointed me."
Sakura cringed, and so did the rest of the class.
The slide presentation the professor had prepared projected onto the white screen in front of the lecture hall, making all students pay it attention. There was one table divided into two columns. First column said "Prelims" and the other, "Midterms".
Sakura listened as Professor Morino laid out the results of their prelims—from the mean of the combined scores of all the students to the percentage of passers. When he showed the results for the midterms, Sakura visibly flinched.
The mean score was OK, but the percentage of passers was barely fifty percent.
"I would like you to know that your scores play around fifty to sixty-five, while some get scores lower than the mentioned," narrated their professor as he walked along one of the aisles of the columns and rows of seats. When he was near the top of the lecture hall and the final row of desks, he paused, giving Sakura another look. "But there were two who exceeded my expectations."
Murmurs echoed around the room.
Professor Morino set the test paper—Sakura did not notice he had with him in the first place—on top of the pink-haired Biology student's desk. The student's eyes read what was on the paper and nearly smiled in glee.
A 99 in red ink was written on the paper.
Sakura was about to sigh in relief when she realized that it was not her paper. In fact, the name written on top was not hers, but it made her heart race.
"Sasuke Uchiha," called Professor Morino, turning the other way and looking at the lonesome boy who sat on the other end of the lecture hall.
Sakura's head snapped toward the direction, her heart beating wildly. Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke?
She did not even notice when the professor lifted up the paper and showed it to the whole class. "This paper, marked with 99 percent, belongs to Sasuke Uchiha," he explained. He regarded the said boy. "Congratulations."
There was a series of claps from the class, but they mostly came from the female population. Sakura heard one girl in front of her say, "He's the new guy recruited by Alpha Delta Omicron!"
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the statement and watched as Sasuke Uchiha stood from where he sat, clad in black V-neck shirt and black pants, and approached the professor. She almost felt like she was going to suffocate from the apprehension she was feeling when he was near, and felt like bolting out of the room when his dark gaze fell on her for a split second.
Finally, when the whole class settled down, Sakura watched as Professor Ibiki raised another test paper and showed to the whole class. Given that she was behind him, she could not see what the professor was trying to show.
"A 100?" one student noted in incredulity. "Scholastic monster."
"Sakura Haruno," called Professor Morino, turning to her with an intimidating but careful smile. "Congratulations on perfecting the midterms."
The girl did not know whether to smile or to cower from the hard gaze someone from the other side of the hall was giving her.
After all, it had been six years.
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It had been six years when Sasuke Uchiha rejected her and left their hometown. It had been six years since the new frat boy broke her heart.
Naruto Uzumaki clenched and unclenched his right hand under his desk, giving his childhood friends an irony-driven smile. Now his secret was free from its leash. He might lose Sakura-chan over his childhood best friend. Again.
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. . . to be continued.