AN Hey you guys! I'm suffering from a bout of writer's block on my other story, so I figured I'd focus on this for a bit. Please let me know what you think! I really appreciate your feedback! R&R xoxo
Carried Away: Chapter Two: High & Low
To say that Sakura was sad to be returning home would be the understatement of a lifetime. If someone had told her she would enjoy the beach this much, she would have laughed. Her winter vacations were always spent in the snowy mountains, sipping hot chocolate and skiing with her parents, while during the summer she often stayed with friends at the lake. But the beach, she had never realized, was her favorite vacationing spot.
She could say that she enjoyed the sun, the sand, and the surf, and that wouldn't be a lie, but her newfound love of the ocean had more to do with an enigmatic, silver-haired man. Hatake Kakashi was the opposite of sunny, he was more like her previous trips to the cloudy, cold mountains, which made his presence on the white-sand beaches of Cancun almost comical.
This was their last night in the condo. Tomorrow, she would be on a plane, heading back to the rainy winters of Konoha, nestled in piles of school books and medical journals until she forgot what sunlight felt like. But before that could happen, she was determined to see Kakashi's face, a feat she had yet to overcome.
It was her idea to have spend the last night at home. The large group of vacationers gathered on the deck to grill seafood and drink tequila. Sakura smiled as she watched her father talk animatedly about his daughter while flipping a few steaks over. It was nice to see her parents behave so normally. Since she was twelve years old, Sakura's parents had become far too preoccupied with accomplishing their business dreams that she often worried they had forgotten how to behave like a normal family.
Taking a sip of her salty drink, Sakura's eyes scanned the small party for silver. The setting sun muted the distinct colorations of the party-goers, letting lanterns strung overhead bath everyone in soft shades of pink, green, and yellow. The prickling sensation of eyes on her back caused the pinkette to turn around and see the object of her search standing just on the other side of the sliding glass door. A quick glance around told her no one was watching and she quickly made her way inside, brushing past the man until she reached the door of the shared mater bathroom. Once inside, she waited briefly before the sound of the door shutting.
"Very smooth." Rich baritones commented with amusement.
Sakura didn't say anything for a moment, instead reaching around the older man to lock the door and flip on a light, suddenly filling the dark room with a dim, almost sensual light.
"Are you going to show me your face?"
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and walked over to lean against the counter. Instead of his usual, sleeveless black shirt with an attached mask, Kakashi had opted for a grey surgical mask and a faded blue tee-shirt. He looked younger that usual, somehow less mysterious, but handsome all the same. "And what's in it for me, Sakura-chan?"
Following suit, the rose-haired girl walked to the counter, instead pulling herself up to sit on the edge, her bare leg unconsciously pressing against the skin of Kakashi's exposed arm, the contact sending shivers down her spine. Suddenly, Sakura felt a pair of hands on her thighs and looked up to see Kakashi's charcoal gaze focusing on her mouth. Throughout the few times they had been together, Sakura had yet to feel his lips against her without the barrier of black cloth.
"You won't see my face tonight." He stated bluntly, chuckling at the way her face fell into a dejected expression. "Close your eyes."
Doing as she was told, Sakura's viridian eyes slid shut and she shuddered when the Kakashi's naked lips immediately found their way onto her own. It was one of the most amazing things she had experienced. Firm, full lips parted, allowing Kakashi to run his tongue unrestrained over her bottom lip. It had been a long time since he had removed his mask for a kiss, and the strange sensation was intoxicating. It almost pained the pair to know that this could very well be the last time they would do this, and Kakashi wanted to make damn sure it would be something neither could forget.
...
Haruno Sakura was what most would call a model student. Despite having perpetually absent parents, she considered herself to be incredibly put together, as did everyone else.
Konoha City was home to one of the most prestigious private schools in the nation, and while Hashirama Secondary School was known to produce some the best and brightest minds the modern world has ever seen, it was also known to house some of the most notorious party animals to ever walk the earth. And such was expected. It was a school for the intellectually gifted, but also a school for the ruling elite. Shipping children to a private boarding school in the heart of a lively city had obvious negative repercussions.
That being said, Sakura liked to think she fell into the first category of children. Sure, her parents were wealthy business partners, making her the child of a upperclass family. However, unlike so many of her classmates, Sakura hadn't come from a founding family, her family was born of humble beginnings and their tiny family of three people had worked hard to become who they were today.
That wasn't to say the pink-haired, aspiring medical student didn't enjoy a good time. It was just spending her spare time partaking in the constant uphill battle of trying to regain her parents' attention seemed counter-productive. She understood why her closest friends seemed always to be engaged in a secret war with one another to become the best at whatever fleeting fancy they all participated in at any particular time.
Sometimes, even Sakura found herself amidst the crossfire of competition, lust for recognition muddling her vision until she broke down. It was impossible not to get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses. Reason being is this, having the highest marks, or the best play record, or the most extra curricular activities at HSS meant achieving a social standing on par with those of legend. Graduating at the best school in the country and having done everything to your fullest was considered the highest honor, an honor that was rewarded with admittance to the greatest universities in the world. So, even though Sakura wanted to believe she was above all of the politics and the nonsense, in the end she knew that the only way to beat them (or at least standing a fighting chance) was to join them. And she had to beat them, not for the affection of her parents but for the progression of her educational career.
But the tournament of achieving valedictorian-status grades wasn't the only problem. Insubordination blossomed in the face of such ruthless, unspoken rivalry. Which leads back to the point of party animals. The need for attention or recognition was a slippery slope, one that any third party could see coming miles away. This slop was a low-burning fire that was fueled by every achievement and failure until the pressure landed you in a week-long drunken stupor resulting in your parents donating new uniforms for the marching band just to keep you from being expelled and make sure the incident stayed off your record.
Sakura could see that many of her friends didn't really care about going to college or having careers, for most of them came from such well-connected families that there was no need. No, these teenagers just wanted to be noticed by parents whose love and affection was displayed in small acts of charity and biannual vacations out of the country. A feeling Sakura was starting to understand all too well.
Small, slender hands fisted azalea-pink hair as these thoughts rapidly swirled about Sakura's mind, creating a hazy fog of confusion. The pinkette wasn't positive what purpose analyzing the conclusions she had come to so long ago served. She knew perfectly well what had brought them on, however the connection wasn't entirely clear.
Hatake Kakashi. His unexpected presence had caused the petal-haired student to have a reevaluation of herself. If Sakura wasn't like those other girls at school who put out so easily, then why had she? If Sakura wasn't one of those girls in need of attention in order to feel wanted, then why did she suddenly feel like one? She was one of the good ones. She studied hard, was a fiercely protective friend, almost always did the right thing, so rarely bogged down by the pettiness of her peers.
And yet here she was, curled up in a bathroom stall, pulling out her hair, only the sound of her rampant observations and blood pounding in her ears to keep her company. How could this happen? How could she let it happen? She didn't even know the man. Hell, she never even saw his face.
But there was something about this way his dark eyes watched her as she walked by that had filled the rosette with confidence. She couldn't recall a time when someone had looked at that way. It wasn't just lust, but something more akin to appreciation, maybe even fascination. Sakura had seen lust, witnessed it on the faces of her classmates, written plain as day with little shame in showing it. Was it because of Kakashi's age? Did older men have a different approach to sex and desire? How old was he?
Letting her feet fall, Sakura pulled herself up from the toilet and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles on her long, pleated skirt. For the first time she could recall, Haruno Sakura fully understood the words of her best friend Ino when she said 'Fuck, I need a drink.'
The slow, rhythmic sound of her patented leather shoes tapping across the tiled floor caused Sakura's fluttering heart to gradually return to a healthy speed, and the freezing water as she splashed her face was the last step to equilibrium. Sighing, the young girl looked in the mirror for a long moment before turning to exit the bathroom.
Sakura liked to think that if she had known from the beginning that Hatake kakashi was going to be coming to her school, then she wouldn't have gone out of way to pursue him. That and she knew it would feel better to place the blame on anyone other than herself, if only for a short moment.
She was technically twenty minutes late for AP Physics, but her feet immediately began walking in the opposite direction towards the fine arts center where she would no doubt find her student advisor, previous music teacher, longtime friend, and most of all the man that had no right to withhold information regarding the new English teacher. Shirunai Genma.
The wide, softly-lit hallways were more or less void of all life, her shoes tapping furiously over hardwood floors until she began to pick up speed, breaking into a full-out sprint. The now present anger boiled up inside of her and fueled each hurried stride. No longer aware of anything but the path before her, Sakura was sure she heard the sound of some underclassmen on hall-monitor duty shouting at her to slow down, but she couldn't be stopped.
Throwing open the large oak doors, she made her way down the covered path that connected the separate buildings, the frigid wind hurling fat drops of icy rain water at her. After what seemed to be an eternity, the petal-haired student arrived at the music room, stopping briefly to check the schedule posted outside. Instrumental Tech was in session, which was a fancy way of saying free time to practice outside of the scheduled classes.
Sakura took a few moments to level her breathing and stave off her growing ire. Although, her attempts to calm herself were unavailing, so she would simply settle for adopting a calm mien until she was in a good place to explode.
Opening the door, the cacophony of conflicting sounds assaulted her ears, making the girl pause for a moment before reorienting herself and stalking up to the podium where the musical director sat, his foot propped onto a large music stand as his fingers lazily scrolled over an ipad, entirely unbothered by the offensive mesh of varying keys that rung through the space.
"Genma." She seethed, unable to control the malice in her voice. Jumping at the sound of his name, the man in question coughed for a moment, dislodging the ever-present toothpick that threatened to catch in his throat.
"Jesus, Sakura. Don't scare me. And don't call me Genma in front of the underclassmen, they'll start getting ideas." He grinned, his eyes still watering. However, his grin faded when he caught sight of Sakura's pained expression. "Eh? What's going on, Sakura?"
"Genma-sensei, I need to have a word with you." Her voice was even, but the fire burning in her emerald orbs tipped off the music teacher that Sakura was rather vexed. His pink-haired student was known to shamelessly fly off the handle, so if she was trying to conceal her rage then something was seriously wrong.
"Okay," the chocolate-haired man started warily. "So talk."
"In private. You are my advisor and I would appreciate it if my business wasn't discussed in front of the class."
He was afraid of that. However, it wasn't likely anyone was listening to her he humored her regardless. "Come to my office."
Genma stepped off of the podium and strolled to his office, the feel of his student's gaze burned into the back of his head. Once safely inside, Genma shut the door, the harsh sound of the reverberating, discordant music giving way to silence with the click of a lock. Taking his seat, Genma used the presence of his desk to put a modicum of space between the two, as well as serve the reminder of who was in a high position of power. Sakura wasn't one to disrespect her superiors, but anger often clouded her usual sound judgement.
A few moments of tense silence transpired before Sakura stubbornly sat down in front of Genma's large, black desk. Finally, Genma spoke. "So what is this all about, Sakura?"
"You know damn well what this is about, Genma."
Surprise twisted his features into a bemused expression. "I'm sorry?"
Sakura's hands gripped the fabric of her black skirt, a stark contrast to the white of her knuckles, fists clenching painfully. "Kakashi." She ground out, frustrated tears prickling the corners corners of her eyes.
Coffee-colored eyes widened in realization and shock before shrinking into a blank stare. "What about him?"
All of Sakura's murderous rage immediately dissipated and gave way to panic. Did Genma know what had happened? If she told him, wouldn't that be it for Hatake Kakashi's teaching career? Not too mention ruin her own reputation. Shirunai may be laid back, but he never struck her as someone who would turn a blind eye to such conduct.
"I.. I um.." Biting her lip, Sakura tried to ignore the way her heart seized painfully and her eyes saturated completely with tears. She had experienced too many emotions since she left her dorm this morning. Excitement, shock, trepidation, confusion, self-loathing, anger, and now she was caught somewhere between panic and hopelessness.
Meeting his eyes again, she saw that he was watching her expectantly, but there was something about his gaze that Sakura couldn't quite identify. Frown lines marred his otherwise smooth forehead and Sakura could almost see the way his umber eyes warned her. She gasped slightly in understanding. Genma was telling her to keep her mouth shut.
Blinking back the tears, Sakura shook her head and laughed humorlessly. "I guess, I just didn't expect to have a new teacher is all. I was really looking forward to being Kurenai-sensei's teacher's assistant this semester and I'm not so sure I want to work with Professor Hatake outside of class. He seems lazy and I just know I'll be grading all of his papers."
The music teacher sighed in what Sakura assumed to be relief. "Heh, well you're probably right. I can try and set you up for a transfer, but all of the other TA positions have been filled and it isn't likely you'll find someone who will want to trade considering Kakashi is new here. If you want, I can maybe get you into another class, but that time slot is mostly core credits and you've already completed all of those classes."
"I guess you're right, I didn't bust my ass for three years so I could retake classes. I kind of wanted my last semester to be less demanding so I could focus on my internship and volunteer hours.." She trailed off, for a moment she almost convinced herself that she wanted out of TA duties because she feared the workload would be too much.
"Well, how about I talk to your professor and bully him into giving you a break. Maybe once he sees your schedule, he'll understand."
"Yeah.." Sakura nodded, not quite comprehending the weight of her decision. Sakura felt a slip of yellow paper slide into her hand as she stood to leave, but the feeling didn't register in her mind. The door opened and the once jarring row of musical instruments had become a dull roar, drowned out by the numb pressure of anxiety suffocating her senses until her brain assumed auto-pilot and guided her through the motions of walking to class, handing in her slip, then taking a seat at the back of the class. No one noticed the glazed look in her wide, viridian eyes.