Sk8er Boi

Sk8er Boi belongs to Avril Lavigne

Summary: AU. He was a boy. She was a girl. Can I make it more obvious? Sasuke was a punk. Ino did ballet. What more can I say? InoSasuSaku, NaruHina, SuiKa, NejiTen, GaaMatsu. Language. OOCness. Do not read if the "f-word" disturbs you.


XK: So. I'm in a songfic mood, so let's see what I can cook up here. Ino, the disclaimer if you please.

Ino: Why should I?

XK: Pardon?

Ino: You made me the villain here! I'm not doing anything for you!

XK: Frankly, I made some of my favorite characters villains too. You are a protagonist here.

Ino: I'm still a villain.

XK: Protagonists don't necessarily have to be heroes, you know. The disclaimer, or I give you an impromptu haircut.

Ino: (Gasps) You wouldn't dare!

XK: You'd be surprised what people can do with a keyboard.

Ino: Fine! XeniaKunoichi does not, cannot, and never will in any way, shape or form own Naruto.

XK: You don't have to be so mean about it…


-Uchiha Mansion-


Sasuke rolled over on his bed, letting out a muffled curse as he fell to the ground. Picking himself up, he grimaced at his alarm clock—it was time to get ready for school. Scratching the back of his spiky head, he stepped into his bathroom, ignoring the towels scattered across the floor. He flipped the tap all the way on, splashing icy water on his face. Sasuke glanced up at his face in the mirror.

Spiky, silky hair. A strong chin. Black eyes that could melt women into a puddle of goo. A sexy smirk that could do the same in a heartbeat. And he wasn't just handsome…okay, drop dead gorgeous—he had to admit that his parents made some good-looking kids.

He was filthy stinking rich, too.

No, he wasn't the firstborn—that honor went to his brother, Uchiha Itachi. As in, Uchiha Itachi—head of Uchiha International as of two years ago, when Itachi had inherited the company. Uchiha International went from a small business scraping at the bottom of middle class to the biggest millionaire company in the world in the span of twenty years. His father, Uchiha Fugaku, had turned the entire company around while it was his empire before handing it down to Itachi, who had expanded and caused more development in two years than Fugaku had in five. The only company that might compare itself would be Hyuuga—the company that excelled at everything Uchiha did not offer and some of what it did. Currently, The Uchiha clan was the richest family in the world.

So why wouldn't Ino go out with him?

Sasuke sighed, scowling at his reflection. The Yamanaka Clan was also one of the rich clans that had made its way to America. Their partnership with Nara had caused the largest explosion in medical technology of the century. The current heiress, Ino, wouldn't even give him the time of day.

Shrugging into a black t-shirt, Sasuke grabbed his Gucci backpack and Vans sneakers. God, he loved those sneakers—excellent for performing kickflips. Sneaking down into the kitchen, he snatched a bagel and made his way towards the door-

"A bit early to be sneaking out of the house, little brother."

Shit. Sasuke turned and glared at the kitchen table, where Itachi sat with his damning smirk plastered on his face. "I was not sneaking," he said irritably.

Itachi flipped on the light, making Sasuke blink. "All the lights were off. Something to hide?" Itachi asked, and his piercing gaze told Sasuke he knew exactly what he had in the garage.

"Don't you have a company to run?" Sasuke edged towards the garage, hoping to make a break for it before Itachi could really mess with him.

"The company can wait. But you, little brother, cannot." Itachi crossed the room, standing directly in Sasuke's path. "My offer still stands, Sasuke."

The irritated frown on the younger Uchiha's face turned into a full on scowl. "And my answer is still no, Itachi. Why don't you ask Shisui to run the company, if you're so eager to be rid of it?"

Shisui was Itachi's best friend, and vice president, of the Uchiha company. A jokester, trickster, and prankster, it was a wonder how he was an Uchiha, who were known for their strong and silent ways, much less Itachi's best friend.

Said Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "You know the clan rules, Sasuke."

"I've already said, I don't want it," said Sasuke, pushing past his brother. "I've got another way to live my life—outside of the Uchiha name."

For years, Itachi had been the only son his father recognized. Sasuke pushed himself, strained, desperately tried to match up to his older brother, just so he would appear as more than a nuisance in the eyes of Fugaku. He was always the best in everything—grades, sports, skill. Hell, he even taught himself three different languages to try to match up to his brother. But when he started going to high school, he met three people that rocked his world. After that, it was like he gave up being the best (It was hard to give up being naturally smart, so his grades never suffered) and he let his brother do his thing while Sasuke went his own way. Now, two years later, he acted as if he didn't exist—and in the eyes of the wealthy, he didn't.

Itachi watched his brother slam the door behind him, and couldn't help but smirk. He had thought at one point that the rebellious stage was just that—a stage. Apparently not. Sasuke had gone from model child to skater punk in a shockingly short amount of time. And once he did, he wanted nothing to do with his family. It actually surprised him; that Sasuke literally gave it all up—not many wanted to leave the world of the rich and fabulous. But then again, his brother wasn't most people.


-Konoha Academy-


Talking with Itachi had put Sasuke in a bad mood. That much was clearly visible when he arrived at the expensive school his parents paid for him to attend, Konoha Academy. He was immediately snapped out of his reverie when he saw a rather peculiar sight.

Actually, it wasn't that peculiar. Two girls getting into a catfight or cussing each other out wasn't that unusual—but because it was Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino that were doing the cussing, it caught his attention the moment he stepped into the courtyard.

Sakura was a spit-fired girl with a "no-nonsense-or-I'll-kick-your-ass" attitude and a temper to match. She usually kept her head around preps like Karin, who couldn't bother her if she tried. But when it came to Ino—beautiful, ballerina, perfect-in-every-way Ino—well, things tended to get messy. The two girls hated each other with a fire that could power a rocket into deep space. Usually, they avoided each other like the plague. Rumor had it that they used to be inseparable, but somewhere along the line, the chain that held them together snapped viciously and left them at each other's throats. And they were definitely at each other's throats today, Sasuke noted—Sakura (oddly dripping wet) was being physically held back by Naruto and Sai, her best friends, while Ino was being held back by her steady boyfriend, Shikamaru, and best friend Temari. It looked like Sakura would break free in another minute, but suddenly she stopped, smirking.

Sasuke thanked whatever god was listening that they had finally shut up as he skated over to her side. It was then he noticed who was approaching.

Senju Tsunade, the principal—and, incidentally, Sakura's adopted mother. It wasn't every day one found a mother and adopted daughter who were so ridiculously alike it was scary. Her blonde hair bobbed angrily as the busty woman strode over, the look in her eyes promising death.

"What's going on here?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Ino-pig pushed me into the fountain, mom," Sakura said, looking miserable in front of her mother. Sasuke had never seen such a good actress before. Sakura looked traumatized.

Tsunade directed her hazel glare at Ino. "Miss Yamanaka, is this true?"

"Forehead-girl called my handmade Prada purse cheap leather I got at a flea market!" Ino growled, looking very much like she would like to wrap her manicured hands around Sakura's throat.

"Well, it's not like it looks any different from any other purse-"

"Shut up, the both of you," Tsunade snapped. "You will both receive a detention for this afternoon, and a three day suspension."

Ino gasped, Sakura looked as if she had been struck, and even Naruto and Sai looked a little stunned. Suspensions were not given out often, and three days was outrageous.

"You can't do that," Ino spluttered. "I have a meeting with my father-"

"I can, I will, and I do believe I just did." Tsunade crossed her arms, daring her to argue.

Ino and Sasuke weren't the only rich people here.

Huffing, the teen spun on her DG shoes and stormed away, her friends right behind her.

Tsunade turned to Sakura, eyebrows raised. "I didn't know you knew half of those words, Sakura. What possessed you to pick a fight with Yamanaka?"

"Do I need a reason?" Sakura asked sulkily, still stung form being punished. "She's a self-righteous bitch to the third power." She shrugged out of Naruto and Sai's grip, and crossed her arms. "And we have a gig tonight. We need to practice! Put the detention on another day!"

"Yeah, grandma!" Naruto protested loudly. "Don't take your arthritis out on Sakura!"

The blonde was somehow convinced that Tsunade had some serious work done and was over fifty, but in actuality the blonde woman was a solid twenty-nine, and adopted Sakura nearly ten years ago. No matter what they did to convince him otherwise, the blonde remained firm.

"Shut up! I do not have arthritis! And my answer is no, Sakura. You should've thought about that before you go cussing out rich girls," Tsunade shrugged. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go look for my wine—er, purse." She strolled away, leaving Sakura and her friends.

"What do you see in that witch?"

Sasuke blinked—the question was directed at him. "Well, Ino is-"

He didn't finish before Sakura continued, "She's a mad shitting distraction! You barely know your way around a fucking guitar anymore! And her fucking bitchy friends are-"

"Sakura, get a grip," Naruto said firmly, grasping the raging pinkette by the shoulders. "Now breathe."

"Naruto, I am not doing your gay-ass yoga shit-"

"Breathe."

Reluctantly, Sakura took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

"Better?"

"Fuck you," she said affectionately, swatting him away.

"Frankly, Ugly, he's right," Sai pointed out. "Dickless and I both agree that you need to stop letting Ino get under your skin."

"What'd you call me?"

"Hn. Shut up, loser."

Sakura spun around, sending the hem of her wet crop-top flying up, and stared at Sasuke with wide emerald eyes. "You just 'hn'ed. Okay, who fucked with you this morning?"

"Hn." Itachi found me as I was sneaking out.

"Your brother?"

"Hn." He asked me to take over the company again.

"And he asked you to take over the company again?"

"Hn." I'm not accepting. Ever.

"Well, you got that right—he needs to get a life and accept the company is his," Sakura affirmed.

"I don't know how you got all of that," Naruto sighed, shaking his spiky blonde head. "The 'Hn' language is far too advanced to comprehend."

"Hn." The only reason you don't get it is because you are an idiot.

"Naruto, you don't get it because I am the only one that understands this emo panda," Sakura said patiently. "And yea, Sasuke, I know I am the most beautiful girl in the world," she chirped, throwing her arms around her emo panda.

"Hn." You are still soaking wet from your fight with Ino.

The pinkette blinked, unlatching herself. "Oh, yeah. Hell—to the locker room, I guess."

"Ugly, don't forget about your detention," Sai said as they made their way into the gym. "You're going to have to sneak out to get to the gig on time."

She waved him off. "I know. I know you guys need me. And no punk-ass detention is going to keep me away from that gig tonight. We are going to burn. It. Down."

These were indeed the three that had changed Sasuke's life in the span of two years.

Yeah, he couldn't believe it sometimes either.

But ninth grade year caught him by surprise. He had never seen these three kids before in his life, but suddenly they were everywhere. Sai was in his art class, Naruto in his P.E. class, Sakura in trigonometry, and all three were in his music class. Sakura didn't have a lick of coordination to play an instrument, especially a guitar, and Sasuke took pity on her one day. Once he spoke to her—"You're holding it wrong"—and the three followed him around like lost puppies. It wasn't even a week after school started that they asked him to join their band. They had seen him play, and he they, and he had to admit they were good (but he was still better). They relentlessly pursued him to try and persuade him to join for months. Three and a half passed before he finally cracked and he said yes.

Up until that point, he thought that the three were scholarship kids—you didn't get into Konoha Academy without a considerable sum of money—and from the way they acted (straight-up skater punks; wild hair, outfits, and all) he didn't think they had been in "his" society ever. It wasn't until they reached Naruto's house that he realized that they were rich too. Naruto's dad was Namikaze Minato—his father's, at the time, business partner of two years, at which time the company had thrived. His mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was lesser-known—she had started her own line of hair-care and makeup products that he knew his mother was obsessed with. Namikaze was just as well-known as Uchiha—Naruto went by his mother's name to stop people from trying to be his friend just for his money. The hype was just too much for him.

When they opened up the garage, Sasuke counted two Bugatti's, a Lamborghini, and three Ferrari's—one yellow, one red, and one orange. And in the corner was the nicest motorcycle he had ever seen—and he had seen a lot. Of, course, in the garage were also a drum kit, keyboard, mike, and a flaming red guitar. Sai took his place behind the keyboard, Naruto the drums, and Sakura grabbed the mike. Then they stared at him, waiting for him to pick up the guitar.

The first time Sasuke played with them, he thought that it was the most ridiculously fun thing he had done in years. He felt like he had known these musicians for years with just one song they played. It was another month before they played together again, this time at Sakura's house. Tsunade was by no means a nice woman (although her husband Dan was), but she wholeheartedly supported her daughter in every endeavor—that is, unless it included drugs, which the pinkette swore she would never use anyway.

The third time was at Sai's house a week later. He came from a long line of artists, all of which had received massive success in the eyes of the public, and his brother Shin was the one the media was watching at the moment. Sasuke sympathized with Sai, a second son was always shown up by the eldest, and Sai was an amazing artist—the animals he drew looked like they could fly right off the paper and start walking around. Shin was a good host, or he tried to be—he was loud, impatient, and a tad crude, though it was through him that Sasuke saw how Naruto had become the artist's friend.

By now, Sasuke was hooked. He liked playing music with these people, he liked the freedom of doing something that he didn't need to do to impress his father. And, he'd never admit it (but they knew) but he also liked these people. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai became like the siblings he never had.

Somewhere along the line, Naruto became his best friend. Sasuke supposed it happened in the same way that Itachi and Shisui became friends—they met, they fought, and suddenly they were inseparable.

Suddenly, gone were the Armani suits and spotless shirts and shiny shoes—he'd always hated how uncomfortable the damned things were. In its place were black tees, cargo pants, and Vans sneakers—lots and lots of custom made Vans. And once they introduced him to the joys of skateboarding (he was instantly better at them at it, something Naruto and Sakura cursed him endlessly for—"We came to watch you crash and burn, rich boy, not do a 360 kickflip on your first try!"), he knew that he would be with these people for the rest of his life.

And then, around his fifteenth year, he fell for Ino. His best friends had no idea why—neither did he, for that matter—but maybe it was the fact that she was everything he would have had if he hadn't met those three. Or maybe it was the way she had the grace of walking on air. Maybe it was the gorgeous body—who knows? But he fell, and he fell hard.

Ah, the sucky life of a proud rich-boy.


-Cafeteria-


"…And fucking take your shitting bitch ass stupid fucking whore self fucking back to your asshat boyfriend's tiny dick, where you fucking belong, bitch," Sakura finished, sending Karin back into Suigetsu's waiting arms. The redhead shot Sakura a dirty look before stomping away.

"That was an entire ten minutes, Sakura," Naruto said, awed. "I don't even think you cussed out Tenten that long, and you hate her ass."

"Tenten is another sanctimonious bitch, and her holier-than-thou boyfriend Neji is a complete asshole," Sakura said, shrugging. "She thought she could kick my ass with a couple of knives? Damn, was she wrong." Finishing the last of her soda, she crushed it between her palms and turned to throw it in the nearest trash can when a lone figure in purple caught her eye. "What happened to Hyuuga?" asked Sakura, pointing at the heiress to the Hyuuga fortune. Hinata was sitting at a table alone, far from her usual group, looking downright depressed. Mind you, the girl always looked like someone just died, but she was looking extra miserable today.

"Shouldn't she be with her 'friends'?" Sai asked, also glancing over.

"W'ever," Naruto shrugged, returning to his ramen. "She's got nothing to do with us."

Sakura glanced at the girl once more before hopping to her feet. "I'm going to get a soda," she announced briskly.

"'Kay," her friends responded, with the exception of Sasuke, who was staring at Ino.

Sakura strode over to the vending machine with empty hands—she knew exactly where to kick it so that the cans would come down, free of charge. She was just winding up her leg when she heard two girls passing by.

"Did you hear what happened to Hinata?"

"Yeah, she and her father had a big fight and he gave the whole company over to her cousin."

"But shouldn't it have gone to her little sister, Hanabi, or something?"

"Nope, her dad was mega-pissed. Neji was third in line, and he practically screwed tradition and gave it all to him."

"Wow, I wonder what the fight was about."

"Whatever it was, it was big. I feel a little sorry for her, she's actually kind of nice."

It was Temari and Matsuri, the only ones of the Preps that Sakura could actually stand enough to have a decent conversation with. They hadn't even noticed her. The pinkette frowned at their retreating backs, then at lonely Hinata, and finally at her friends. They weren't looking. Letting out an oath under her breath, she stalked over to where the former heiress sat. The lavender-eyed girl jumped as Sakura sat down across from her.

"Hey," she said shortly.

"H-Hello," Hinata asked, wondering what Haruno Sakura of all people wanted from her.

Silence. "Stop that."

"W-What?"

"Stop looking so damn pathetic that you make me feel sorry for you!" Sakura snapped, then she swore. "Fuck this shit. This is a waste of time."

"No!" Hinata protested. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"Sorry."

"I said, don't fucking apologize!"

"I'm sor—er, right."

Sakura gave a heavy sigh, burying her face in her hands. "Man, I don't even know why I came here."

Hinata struggled with her words for a bit before blurting out, "My father disowned me as heir!"

"Yeah, I heard," the pinkette said, not looking up.

"I-It was because my father wanted to put me in an arranged marriage," Hinata continued desperately, not wanting the girl as her only company to leave. "But I said no because I l-love someone else."

Sakura's head snapped up, emerald eyes glinting in anger. "He did what?"

"T-Tried to put me in an arranged marriage."

"Son of a bitch!" Sakura exclaimed. "That's still legal, in this day and age? Damn! Wait, who with?"

"U-Uchiha Itachi."

"That's fucking bullshit!" Sakura said so loud that several people turned to look. "How old are you?"

"S-Sixteen," Hinata said meekly, trying not to cower in front of this terrifying girl.

"Double fuck that shit," Sakura decided. "Good for you—no one deserves a marriage with that coldhearted bastard. Wait a second," she realized. "What does your boyfriend have to say about this? What's his name? Sagaku—Sabaku—"

"G-Gaara and I broke up," Hinata explained. "A while ago. He's with Matsuri now. We decided it would be better for us to see other people…"

"Wait, so if you didn't object for Gaara, who are you crushing on?"

At this, Hinata turned very, very red and covered her face with her hands. She mumbled out a name that Sakura strained to hear, but very surely heard "Naruto". Sakura gave a rather sadistic grin, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"No!" Hinata moaned. "Please don't-"

"Oi, guys!" Sakura yelled, so that the entire cafeteria heard. "Get over here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

Hinata sank low in her seat. "Noo… Mylife is over…" she piteously moaned. "What do I dooo?"

"Just do whatever you do to relax," Sakura said calmly. "You're cute, he'll totally fall for a little cherry like you and then you can go elope."

Hinata merely moaned again, taking out a pen and a pad of paper and began writing furiously.

"'Sup, Sakura?" Naruto asked, taking a seat next to Hinata. Sai and Sasuke sat on either side of Sakura, giving the Hyuuga questioning looks.

"Hinata," the pinkette introduced, "Meet Naruto, the loud one, Sai, the artist, and Sasuke, the emo panda. Idiot boys, meet Hinata."

"Hi."

"Hello."

Naruto, however, was staring at her hands as she scribbled on the paper. "Do you play?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Hinata started.

"Do you play any instruments?" Naruto pressed.

"A l-little. I tried to learn how to play the guitar," Hinata said, looking down at her notepad. "Bu I n-never was very good, and can only play bass parts…"

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, startling the girl so much that she nearly fell out of her chair.

"Finally, I never thought we'd find someone who can play bass," the pinkette sighed, grinning at Hinata.

"We can try her out while you're in detention," Sai suggested.

"Aa." I concur.

"W-What are you talking about?" the lavender-eyed youth asked, confused. She jumped as they all simultaneously smirked at her.

"How would you like to join our band?"


-Detention Room, After School-


Tink. Tink. Tink. Ti-

"Will you stop that?" Ino demanded irritably.

Sakura glanced at Ino, then at the skull ring on her finger, and then at the desk. Tink. Tink. Tink.

"Dear god, this is never going to end," Ino moaned into her hands.

"Shut up," Sakura said nonchalantly, still tapping her ring on the desk. She took every chance she had to play with the ring on her finger—Sasuke had given her the trinket for her birthday last year, and it was literally never out of her sight. She smiled softly to herself. Anything she got from Sasuke was worth more than all the money in the world.

Tsunade rose from her seat in the front of the classroom. "I'm going to the bathroom," she grumbled, stepping out the room. Once the clicking of her heels had faded completely, Sakura at once headed for the window.

"What are you doing?" Ino hissed. "She's going to be back any minute."

"When mom says she's going to 'use the bathroom', she comes back so fucking drunk she won't even remember I was here," Sakura snapped, silently lifting the window up.

"You aren't seriously going to jump. This is the third floor!"

Emerald eyes turned scornfully to electric blue and gave an exaggerated eye roll. "Yes, because I never sneak out of my house and I never have snuck out of detention before. God, what do you take me for? Of course I can get down without breaking my neck." With that, she stuck one foot out the window, but once she did, a quiet moan was heard.

"That was my face."

"Fuck! Sorry, Sasuke!" The pinkette pulled the boy up into the detention room, shooting him a confused look. "Shouldn't you be on the way?"

"I came to make sure you wouldn't be late. And, by the way, Hinata passed." Sasuke's eyes flickered to the blonde, and he swallowed heavily. "H-Hey, Ino."

What the hell is this? I don't stutter.

"Hinata?" Ino sneered. "Really? She lost it all, and now you pulled her in with your little group of rejects?"

"Don't talk about her like that, you shallow little witch!" Sakura hissed—the Hyuuga had grown on her during class together.

"Don't talk to her like that," Sasuke snapped at the pinkette.

Sakura took a step back, looking at him like he'd struck her. "But she-"

"Drop it."

Something darkened in Sakura's eyes, and she scowled. "Fine," she spat. "I'll see you at the gig, then, lover boy." Without another word or a backwards glance, the pinkette hopped out the open window, leaving Sasuke and Ino alone.

He awkwardly shuffled his sneakers, not making eye contact. This was actually the first time that they had been totally alone, in fact. "We're playing tonight," he told Ino's heels. "At, uh, Toni's on Forty-first and Park…Would…Would you like to come see us play? I-I mean, hear us?" He glanced up quickly at the blonde, and was shocked to see a small smile on her face.

"If I get out of detention, I'll try," she said, flipping her hair in that gorgeous way he loved.

He grinned, relieved. "Cool. We're on in an hour." With that, he followed after the pinkette, on a love high.

He didn't see Ino's smile turn into a scowl, nor did he see her whip out her phone to text Karin.

sk8er boi asked me out

like ive got time to waste on him


-Toni's, Backstage-


"What the fuck did you do to Sakura?" Naruto hissed lowly at his best friend.

Sasuke actually glanced at him—Naruto wasn't usually one to swear, unless he had a nasty fall on the half pipe. "I didn't do anything," he hissed back.

"Liar. Something's off with her."

The Uchiha snuck a glance at the pinkette—she was chatting amicably with Hinata about something, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.

Shit.

Sakura always looked like she had some kind of weight on her shoulders. Bubbly Sakura was a Hurting Sakura. She was good at playing off her emotions; it was months before he noticed the signs enough.

"Okay, so maybe I did something. But what did I do?" Sasuke demanded.

The blonde surprised him by giving him a rather disgusted look. He tossed some wires at Sai. "Set that up for me, will you, man? We gotta talk."

Sasuke didn't struggle as Naruto dragged his ass out the side door and pushed him out into the alley, slamming the door behind them.

He evenly eyed the visibly seething blonde. "Look, loser, I don't know what it is you think I did, but-"

"Sakura's in love with you."

For once in his life, Uchiha Sasuke was speechless as he stared into the face of his best friend who had just dropped the biggest bomb he had ever heard right on his head. Wait…Sakura what?

"Dude, you are the most fucking oblivious, stupid, insensitive person I have ever met," the blonde sighed at the Uchiha's dumbfounded face. "She's been crushing on you, like, since before the beginning of time. You have no idea how much this thing you've got for Ino is killing her."

"But-" Sasuke tried to deny it. "She—she never—"

"Bastard, can you ever see her coming out and admitting something like that?" Naruto demanded. "She'd rather suffer in silence and she's probably going to kill my ass for telling you this, but, talk to her. I've known her since forever and I hate seeing her like this—What the hell did you do, anyways?"

"I invited Ino." Sasuke hesitated (very unlike him) and added, "But before, I yelled at her."

"Damn, you screwed up. She's going to be super-pissed at you for that," Naruto affirmed. "Think about how to make it up to her, or be prepared to get your ass handed to you on a bloody silver platter."

"I-"

"You know Ino won't be coming anyway."

Sasuke was once again silent. And was silent all through the act, thinking about what Naruto had said.

Sure enough, Ino didn't show. And as he was packing up his guitar, he came to the startling realization that his crush on Ino was just that—a crush. What did he see in her?

She was never there for him—Sakura was. She never sang along while he tried out new songs on his guitar—Sakura was. He never stayed up talking with her on the phone for hours—Sakura did. She never made him realize he didn't need his father's attentions to be happy.

Sakura did. It was always Sakura.

He suddenly felt the powerful need to speak to her right now. He whirled around, opening his mouth to shout out her name, lips forming the first syllable of her name-

Naruto and Sai suddenly burst in from the other side of the stage. "There was a talent scout in that audience!" Naruto hollered.

Sasuke swallowed her name as the pinkette gasped, "What did you say?"

"This guy was in the back—getting a drink—and he loved us! He wants us to do a demo CD!" Naruto babbled, grabbing Hinata in his arms. He hopped up and down with the blushing girl excitedly. "He liked us! He really liked us!"

"That's fucking fantastic!" the pinkette cheered. "This is amazing! Emo panda, we did it!" she squealed, forgetting that she was mad at him just long enough to throw her arms around his neck and spin him in a hug. He returned the hug, just as giddy as the rest of them were.

"I want to talk to you," he said breathlessly, setting her back down on her feet. She gave him a suspicious look, but at her curt nod, he pulled her away from their friends, out in the alley.

She flipped her pink hair, and suddenly Sasuke realized that he had no idea what to say to her. How was he supposed to apologize for making her fall for him, hurting her with Ino, and then hurting her all over again?

After a minute of silence, Sakura jabbed him repeatedly in the chest. "Are you going to talk, or are you going to stare at me all night?" she demanded.

Suddenly, it came to him.

"Hey! You fucking listening to me, Uchiha? 'Cause if nobody's home-" Sakura's breath hitched as he caught her poking hand in his warm one. "Sa-Sasuke?" Her emerald orbs widened as he leaned in closer to her, his dark eyes lidded and smoldering. His lips had barely brushed hers before she jerked back. "No!"

Sasuke blinked at her, confused. "Excuse me?"

She snapped at him, "I'm not going to roll around like your little bitch as a goddamn Ino replacement! You can't just walk all over m-"

Sasuke crushed his lips to hers, silencing her instantly. "You're not," he murmured against her mouth.

She jerked back again. "I'm not what?"

"A replacement." Sasuke licked his lips—she tasted sweet, like strawberries. "I'm done with Ino."

"Oh, no," the rosette protested, trying to step back but cursing inwardly as her hand was still being held by Sasuke. "No, no, no, you are not doing this to me! I've seen enough chick flicks to know what you're trying to do. You're going to tell me that you're done with that other girl, and that you love me now, and I'm going to say I'm so in love with you it hurts sometimes, and then you're going to kiss me, and then I'm going to cry, and you're going to kiss me again and tell me we're going to live happily ever after, and-"

"Sakura."

"What?"

"You're annoying," he said, before kissing her again. She melted into his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck. Inwardly, Sasuke smirked. He still did have his pride, after all, and he lightly nipped her bottom lip. She gasped, and he darted his tongue inside her mouth, smirking in triumph when she let out a soft moan. His hands trailed down her sides, feeling her soft curves, and settled at her waist, where he pulled her closer to him. He pulled his mouth from hers and while she gasped for air, he trailed light kisses down her neck. He had just reached her collarbone when-

"Dude, my eyes!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked up at the source of the voice, which turned out to be Naruto, eyes covered with both hands and a grimace on his face. "This was not what I meant when I said to talk to her."

"Should've been more specific," Sasuke said dismissively, and unabashedly returned his attentions to Sakura's neck.

"Sasuke!" she hissed indignantly.

"Yeah, well, we're leaving now, so unless you want your guitar to get jacked…" Naruto trailed off and ducked back inside, grumbling about idiot bastards and it's about damn time.

Sasuke sighed, pulling away from the pinkette. "We should go," he said, reluctantly unwrapping himself.

"Hey. This better as hell not be a one-time thing," Sakura snapped, blushing as he planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Of course not."


-5 years Later

Yamanaka Residence-


Ino gave a tired groan, flopping down on her king-sized bed, sighing at the softness of the silk on her cheek. Why, oh, why had she insisted on taking over the company fresh out of high school? In her frustrations, she had begged Temari to help her, and together they had actually managed not to burn the company to the ground (it probably helped that Temari was the more sensible of the two). Ino was just about to let her blue eyes flutter shut when a loud cry pierced her ears.

"Shit," she swore, rolling off the bed and staggering to the crib that sat in the corner of the massive bedroom. She yanked off her heels, dropping them at the front of the crib before lifting the crying child up from her crib. "Calm down, Rinko," she cooed to her baby girl, rocking her gently. "Are you crying because Mommy's sad? Shh, it's okay, Mommy's here." She gently calmed her child down, until Rinko was a burbling ball of happiness in her arms.

Rinko wasn't actually planned. Once, when Shikamaru was away on a business trip, Ino realized her nothing had turned into more nothing and when she took the pregnancy test…well, frankly she freaked out. She drove straight to her friend's houses, in complete hysterics. It was only after Temari pointed out that couldn't possibly be good for the baby that Ino finally calmed down. One tear-filled conversation with Shikamaru later they decided to keep it, and nine months later her little dark-haired, blue-eyed Rinko was born. Ino was forever grateful for Nara Yoshino to take care of her child while she was trying to run her company. Rinko was now a happy seven months old, and Ino felt perfectly content with her life.

"Let's she what's on TV, shall we?" Ino asked her daughter cheerfully.

"Ba ah," Rinko said.

The blonde giggled, setting her down on her lap before flicking the flatscreen on.

"-Suspects say the driver-"

"-We let you into our family-"

"-Legend tells of a legendary warrior-"

"-And that's why~ -"

"-So what now, Jack Sparrow-"

Ino quickly flipped back to the last channel. That voice sounded familiar…

"-It's been a while…Since every day and everything has felt this right~…"

Ino gaped at the screen, gaped at the singer. There's no way…There's no way…

But a head of pink hair was impossible to miss.

Forehead is on TV! Impossible!

But it wasn't just Sakura—the camera shifted to focus on a dark-haired, punk rock prom queen strumming on her guitar. Ino peered closer at the screen. Underneath the heavy mascara and flashy rocker costume was…

Hinata! No way!

The shy girl always had her hair down, as if to hide behind her long tresses, but now it was tied up in a high ponytail, revealing a regal face and enrapturing lavender eyes. She played along with the rest of the group, looking like she was having the time of her life.

The camera again shifted, showing the drummer and the keyboard player. Ino thought her eyes were about to fall out of her head as she recognized Naruto and Sai. How did these losers end up on TV?

The camera shifted for a final time, and Ino's breath caught in her throat. Those familiar onyx eyes and spiky hair at once caught her attention, but it was the look on his face that took her breath away. I've never seen him look so passionate about anything, she thought, awed as he expertly played his guitar, a small smirk on his face. Come to think of it…I've never seen you play either…

Sasuke…I think I'm falling for you all over again…

"Aah!" Rinko squealed, snapping Ino out of her thoughts.

"Rinko, you're so loud!" She stuck the pacifier into the baby's mouth, rocking her gently. She shook her head, looking away from the screen. I can't worry about silly high school crushes… I've got Shika and Rinko now.

"That was the hot new band, 'Sk8er Boi', playing their hit song, 'Smile'!"

Ino looked back up—she hadn't even noticed the song end. She listened as clips from some of their other songs played, and she had to admit, they were good. Very, very good. The announcer said that there would be another concert in town in a few days, and then the show went to commercial. After a moment, Ino set Rinko down on the bed and dialed Tenten.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I was wondering…Are you doing anything in the next couple of days?"


-Three days later-


"I can't believe you actually dragged me into going to a concert with you," Temari grumbled, sulking in her seat.

"I can't believe we have fifth row seats," Karin added.

"Tickets were sold out by the time I got online," Tenten said calmly. "And just think of it as a girl's day out…besides, I heard the musicians were hot."

"Tenten! Don't you have Neji?" Ino scolded, swatting her friend's arm playfully.

The bun-haired girl grinned. "It's fine, so long as I only look."

Ino giggled, relaxing in her seat. It was true—she was actually having fun. The four of them had gotten together for the first time in what felt like years, but was actually only a couple of months. And she was looking forward to the concert—not necessarily the people in it—for a chance to finally relax from the company, if only for a little while. Suddenly, the house lights dimmed, and Ino looked up eagerly at the stage.


-30 Minutes Earlier-


Sakura swallowed another large gulp from her water bottle, exhausted. Maybe the tour hadn't been such a good idea… Singing for ages every day for the past month had been a bit taxing on her throat. Shrugging it off, she glanced over her balcony that overlooked the entrance for the people coming to see them play. The crowds thronged the streets, and she had to admit, if they hadn't done that demo CD, it was likely they'd still be doing cheap gigs at bars. Doing that demo CD was probably the best thing that ever happened to them. They had gotten their big break not long after, and had been playing like no tomorrow since. Sk8er Boi was everywhere, she was pleased to see. People couldn't get enough of them.

Lazily, she scanned the crowd, not seeing anything else to do. Just as she was turning away to go prepare for the concert, a familiar shade of blonde caught her eye. She turned back, eyes widening. No way…Ino?

That insanely long ponytail was impossible to mistake, as were the brown buns and oddly chopped red hair next to her. Looking closer, she also spotted Temari, her sandy-blonde hair bobbing as she laughed with her friends. A scowl crept across her face. That bitch has a lot of nerve, coming here after what she did.

Sasuke was always horribly depressed at Ino's rejections, and Sakura vowed one day to make Ino pay dearly.

The pinkette smirked, turning and walking back inside. What better day than today?

It wasn't long until she found her bandmates. All of them were sitting in the lounge, waiting for the concert to start. Hinata and Naruto were busy staring into each other's eyes (Sakura gagged sometimes at the cuteness the couple radiated) but Sasuke smiled at her when she walked in. He frowned a bit at the look on the pinkette's thoughtful face. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing, love," she said, but continued to stare off into space. "I was just thinking…what if we started off the concert with a new song?"

"Sounds all right with me," Naruto shrugged.

"But what song would we use?" Sai asked, subtly sketching Hinata in Naruto's lap. "We haven't written anything new."

"I was thinking of this song we never used from when we first started out…I still have it, actually." The pinkette looked hopefully at Sasuke, who still had a frown on his face.

"That stupid song we wrote about the skater? No way," he said flatly.

Sakura pouted. "But I wanted to try it…please, Sasuke?"

"No." He looked away, and jumped when Sakura straddled his lap.

"I'll make it up to you later," she purred, sending warm tingles down his body. "Please, Sasuke-kun?"

During their trip to Japan last year (the people loved them—who knew?) Sakura had picked up the affectionate suffix, and it drove Sasuke crazy, and she knew it too. The moment she dropped the "kun", he knew without a doubt he was done for.

"Fine," he sighed. "Just give me a few minutes to look at the chords."

Sakura thanked him with a kiss, flicking his lips with her tongue. He growled, trying to pull her closer, but she quickly hopped out of his lap. "Now, now, Sasuke," she teased. "Plenty of time for that later." The look in his eyes quite clearly told her that he would indeed make her pay for that. I am so done for if he catches me at the hotel later…


-20 Minutes Later-


Ino watched with awe as Sasuke shredded his guitar onstage. He's so good… She wondered why she never noticed he looked so cool before. Sasuke didn't even look out at the crowd, his eyes were on his guitar. She felt her feet tapping along with the music, and she was surprised to note she was enjoying the music. Her eyes involuntarily moved to Sakura as he began singing.

He was a boy.
She was a girl
Can I make it any more obvious?
He was a punk.
She did ballet.
What more can I say?

He wanted her.
She'd never tell.
Secretly she wanted him as well.
And all of her friends
Stuck up their nose.
And they had a problem with his baggy clothes.

Ino froze. That sounds like…us, in high school…

She noticed Sakura swiveling her head around, like she was looking for something. When the pinkette met her eyes, Ino wasn't sure if she imagined the smirk that flitted across the singer's face.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy.
He wasn't good enough for her.
She had a pretty face but her head was up in space.
She needed to come back down to earth.

Th-That's not true! Ino inwardly protested. But deep down, she knew it was. There was no way she would have even remotely considered going out with Sasuke, not the skater boy he was. The only think she really liked was his looks, and that wasn't enough.

Five years from now,
She sits at home feeding the baby, she's all alone.
She turns on TV and guess who she sees?
Skater boy rocking up MTV.
She calls up her friends
They already know-
And they've all got tickets to see his show.
She tags along, stands in the crowd,
Looks up at the man that she turned down.

Ino took a step back, bumping into her seat. Sakura was truly smirking now, green eyes piercing. Sakura had seen her watching, and she was making sure that her words sliced straight through Ino's heart.

He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy.
He wasn't good enough for her.
Now he's a superstarSlamming on his guitar.
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?

I do, Ino thought desperately, willing Sakura just to look away. I do!

Sakura merely smirked at her, launching into the next verse.

Sorry girl but you missed out.
Well, tough luck- that boy's mine now.
We are more than just good friends.
This is how the story ends.
Too bad that you couldn't see...
See the man that boy could be.
There is more than meets the eye.
I see the soul that is inside.

Ino's eyes widened in horror, pinpricks of tears burning her eyes. When Sakura sang "more than just good friends", she deliberately placed her hand on her stomach, briefly, just above her…Ino swallowed the lump in her throat, turning to Tenten. "I, um, actually don't feel so well," she said hurriedly. "I've got to go."

Tenten merely nodded, barely noticing anything other than the music. Ino doubted she even recognized the performers.

Pushing past the crowds, Ino tried to get away before Sakura sang again, but she still heard.

He's just a boy, and I'm just a girl.
Can I make it any more obvious?
We are in love.
Haven't you heard how we rock each other's world?

Tears coursing down her face, Ino continued to push her way through, practically feeling Sakura's triumph boring into her back.

I'm with the skater boy- I said, see ya later boy.
I'll be backstage after the show.
I'll be at the studio singing the song we wroteAbout a girl he used to know

Ino stumbled out of the music hall, vowing never to come near that group again. Sakura's last words hung about her, echoing venomously in her head.

I'm with the skater boy- I said, see ya later boy.
I'll be backstage after the show.
I'll be at the studio singing the song we wrote
About a girl he used to know

It was just too painful.


Yeah, Ino bashing. Only way it would work, sorry.

And, to clear up a few things, here's some background trivia bout Sk8er Boi!

~ In the beginning, Itachi was only offering the company over because he thought that was what Sasuke wanted, so he would finally prove himself in their father's eyes. When Sasuke refused the final time before he went to be a musician with his friends, Itachi gave up and is running the company with Shisui

~ In this story, Ino and Sakura call each other "Ino-pig" and "Forehead girl", respectively. However, they are mortal enemies, so it's sheer hostility and no friendly teasing to it at all.

~ Sai had problems making friends early on, so when he met Naruto and Sakura, they explained to him about friendships and nicknames. As in the canon, he made the mistake of being to blunt with his opinions, and they are still called Ugly and Dickless, respectively, but he doesn't have a nickname for Sasuke (well, he does, but it's not mentioned here). He also doesn't call Ino "Beautiful" because, like Sakura, he hates her.

~ "Teme" and "dobe" are omitted and are translated as "bastard" and "loser"

~ Sakura and Sasuke got together shortly before Naruto and Hinata, which is officially one month into their music career. Everyone else ended up with their boyfriends/girlfriends from high school (Ino and Shikamaru, Karin and Suigetsu, Neji and Tenten, Matsuri and Gaara). This excludes Temari and Sai, who never had anyone to begin with.

~ Although they are mentioned, Neji and Gaara never appeared in this fic (duh)

~ Shikamaru took over the Nara side of the business when he turned twenty, and Ino the Yamanaka side at eighteen. Rinko was born shortly after Shikamaru took over.

~ Every couple except NaruHina and SasuSaku is married (although they will propose sometime in the near future)

~ Sakura calls Sasuke her "emo panda" because I thought it would be funny to hear him called that ≥w≤

Feel free to ask me any other questions you may have in your review or just message me!

Ja ne!

-XK