Sakura walked out of her room, rubbying her eyes intensely, trying to push the sleep away from her eye lids. Not having a clue where she was going, she bumped onto someone and she quickly stepped back, alarmed.
It was her dad.
"Oh, sorry, dad. I didn't see you." she said, her voice still hoarse.
"It's ok, hun. Make sure you use the bathroom first and come down for breakfast asap, or you will be late." her dad said givine her a fatherly smile.
" I know, dad, you tell me this every morning, how can I ever forget it?" Sakura nagged, more for the fact that he reminded her of her school. She completely dreaded that place, mostly because she was a bully magnet due to her shyness and weak character. Somehow she managed to act stronger in her family but the same didnt go for her life out of it.
Another reason that she hated her school was Sasuke. All the girls were drooling over him and were always bugging her to talk to him about them to arrange a date. Sakura had only done so once, which was the first time it happened. And never again Because when she had tried to talk Sasuke about it, Sasuke countered her with : Don't you have anything better to do?
And she remembered how bitter she felt, but she knew she couldn't speak up, No, never, she just couldn't let Sasuke ever know about her feelings for him. It was a forbidden thing. But if she could speak, she knew what she'd tell him: And do you think that was easy for me? To accept to to do this for a girl and help you two go out when in the same time I have a crash on you? It's not like I did it cause I like it!
Well, after that, of course, she never tried to bring that thing up again, not even for her best friend Ino. Sakura was clear with her about that:" If you want to go out with Sasuke, go and ask him yourself. He won't listen to me, either way."
Of course, after that, Ino got so mad at her that she stopped talking to her for some time. But being the good friends they were, they made up again and Ino stopped bugging her that much about her brother.
Getting out of her thoughts, Sakura walked towards the bathroom, sighing silently, a long and deep sigh. She opened the door and entered the room, her eyes pinned on the floor, sleepy as she still was.
When she looked up again though, she went fully awake. Sasuke was staring right at her coldly. But that wasnt the only source of her embarassment. He was shirtless and in his boxers, apparently he had just been done with brushing his teeth. She wondered if her jaw had dropped, while she tried to recollect herself.
Sasuke kept staring at her, as if he was trying to pierce her with his intense gaze.
"Gomen! Gomen! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whispered in a pathetically weak way, as a blush had taken over her cheeks and she struggled to not stutter.
She looked away, biting her lip as she tried to recover from what she had just seen. She was about to excuse herself again and step fast out of the bath, when Sasuke spoke.
"It's ok. I'm done." he said, his voice sounding tired and mature, as he walked past her, his naked shoulder brushing against hers, while at it, due to theroom's entrance being narrow.
Sakura stood there, trying to realise what he had just said, but her mind was filled with embarassment and Sasuke's perfect shirtless figure. She shook her head, trying to stop herself from drooling over his mental image. She knew this was wrong, it was her brother , she shouldnt be feeling like that for him.
But before her mental self preaching was even done, she ran to the mirror to take a look at herself.
"Oh my god, noooo..." she whispered, gritting her teeth. Her hair was messy as the jungle, and her skin just seemed bad.
I look horrible, I can't believe I let him see me like that. Curse my luck!
Sakura! When will you learn? It's your brother, why should this bother you? Her inner voice resurfaced in her mind, reprimanding her.
Sakura looked back at the mirror, givine a sad smile to herself. So much conflict inside her. The only thing that still kept her going was that at least, Sasuke had no clue about all of this. And she hanged on to that fact, as her only hope to be redeemed. But in the same time, she couldn't stop the voice of reason inside her telling her that : You are weak.
Finishing off with her morning bathroom rituals, that she did with shaking hands, due to her persistant embarassment that still lingered from the accidental meeting with Sasuke, she walked out of the bathroom, wishing that Sasuke would have already finished with his breakfast, even though he rarely sat for breakfast with the rest of the family. He just went ahead to school, usually riding his bike there, since he didnt like being in the same bus with all those fan girls of his.
As she walked off towards the bus stop, she noticed Sasuke waiting there. She frowned in curiosity.
Once she reached him, she stood next to him, looking in front of her.
"Won't you take your bike to the school, today?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound confident, but instead it sounded slightly scared.
Sasuke looked at her sideways for some seconds before looking back ahead.
"One of the whires needs changing. I can't use it like that." he said in a low tone, sounding bored and indifferent in the same time.
"I...I see." Sakura felt guilty for feeling her heart flying in happiness at the sound of those words.
The next moments were spent in silence. She was feeling too akward to speak but she guessed that Sasuke just couldnt manage to care less.
At one point, Sasuke took his cell phone out and texted something and Sakura couldnt help but feel her heart sinking inside her chest, as it was stormed by jealous feelings.
Could he be sending that text to a girl? Then, again, Sasuke was never interested in girls. But...
Her thoughts were soon interrupted, as the school bus stopped in front of them, opening its doors to accept them.
Sasuke immediately snapped his cell phone shut and he got in the bus, in a cool pace. Sakura followed after him, towards the back end of the vehicle. Sasuke found an empty seat and sat down. Even though there was an free post next to him, Sakura didn't dare to sit on it. She clearly remembered how Sasuke had reacted the first time she had tried to sit next to him in the bus.
He had told her that it was taken. However, the only thing that occupied the seat till the end of the route was his bag.
So, instead of sitting down on that seat, this time, she moved on, searching with her eyes for free posts. But to no avail. She gritted her teeth, anxiety filling up her mind. She hated standing on the bus, it made her dizzy and caused her social stress. It'd really look very bad if the bus suddenly changed direction and she ended up stumbling in front of everyone.
She stood somewhere behind but not very far from Sasuke, holding tight on a steel pole with both of her tiny hands.
Soon the bus made another pause, and the doors opened, letting some girls in. They seemed like Sasuke fan girl type of gals, too. She shot a glance over Sasuke, in thoughts, only to find him looking back at her. She did her best to fight the sudden blush creeping up to her cheeks.
Sasuke nodded her softly to the seat next to him.
She didn't get the hint at first, so she kept looking at the seat confused, until Sasuke finally spoke again, controlled annoyance coloring his voice.
"Sit down."
She wasnt sure at first if she really should go for it, until he removed his bag from the post and gave an annoyed glance towards the up coming fan girls.
Sakura finally got the hint. Sasuke didnt want any of those bold fan girls claiming that seat next to him for themselves.
She moved fast and sat down next to him, trying to breath normally.
Her cheeks were reddened again, but this time it was because she felt like a huge baka for not realising this at first.
Sasuke took his phone out again and flipped it open, typing a text. Sakura couldnt help but feel the curiosity waking up in her, as she tried to look what he typed with the corner of her eye.
The only thing she managed to read was the recipient's name: Karin, before Sasuke flipped the cell closed again and looked out of his window, absent minded.
Sakura felt the blood boiling in her veins, trying to keep her breathing calm.
Why was Sasuke texting that girl? She was known for being a slut and she had her eyes set on Sasuke for quite a long time. In fact, there was a period that she was bullying Sakura to make her convince Sasuke to go out with her. Then, one day Sakura saw Sasuke talking to that her during a break, and after that Karin didn't bug her again. Or Sasuke for that matter.
But now, Sasuke was texting her? Had they been talking for a long time now, or was it sudden? Sakura's mind kept being filled with persistent thoughts, but her heart was heavy with guilt. She knew that shouldnt be experiencing those jealous feelings.
Sasuke isn't yours, and he can never be. A voice in her head kept repeating to her.
Soon the bus stopped, and Sakura stood up from her seat, relieved. It had made it all the more akward, sitting close to Sasuke while having those nasty thoughts about him, her own brother.
She stepped down of the bus and walked rushingly in the school, lost in her own thoughts.
Sasuke walked around the school, hands in his pockets, looking at the ground pensively, till his best friend bumped onto him.
"Hey, teme! How's it going?" Naruto cheered in his loud annoying voice, causing Sasuke to wonder why he was even friends with him.
"Nothing much. I just texted that Karin girl." Sasuke said uninterested, as he and Naruto walked together towards the class.
"Good go. But I am feeling jealous of you, you teme." Naruto nagged, childishly.
"How so?" Sasuke asked, rather absent mindly.
"Because you can get any girl you want, just like that! Look at that Karin girl. How easy was that? And I've been having a crash on your sister since forever but she will never like me that way." Naruto said, frowning.
"She's not my sister." Sasuke's mood imeddiately darkened at those words, his voice coming out harsh and cold.
Naruto gave him a confused look.
"Well, teme, she technically is, you know, you have the same parents and all." Naruto trailed off, feeling unable to handle this.
"Stop being a baka, dobe. I only have one brother, with whom I am connected with the same bloodline. There's nothing connecting me with her, besides some papers that were signed against my will." Sasuke finished off darkly, as Naruto looked at him pondering.
"Sasuke, I think you're being unfair here. You're lucky to have Sakura-chan,she's a nice girl and even a blind could tell how much she cares for you." Naruto said, trying to defend Sakura.
"Shut up!" Sasuke said, his onyx orbs gaining an angered expression as he shot a death glare to Naruto.
"You know what, I am just trying to open your eyes. But if you don't want, then fine." Naruto said calmly, a dissapointed tone coloring his voice, as he shrugged and walked away.
"Tchk." Sasuke whispered annoyed, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sakura sat in class, staring depressed at her notebook, as she played around with her pen. She wasnt in the mood to listen to what the teacher was saying, her mind travelled to Sasuke again. Whenever she tried to focus on something else, she just found it impossible. She only felt dirty for herself.
If only I could shut my heart down.
So, of course, when the teacher asked her to repeat what she had just said, Sakura was at a loss of words.
Sakura's last hour teacher had been absent for the day, so her class went home one hour earlier.
Due to Sasuke being half a year older than her, he had been enrolled in an older year at school, so of course they didnt have the same classes.
So, Sakura hadnt expected her Onii-san(older brother) to be home when she returned. Contrary to her luck, Sasuke had indeed returned home. Despite her being ignorant to that fact, Sasuke's last class had been also cancelled last minute due to something unexpected that happened to a teacher's family member, so his teacher had to leave urgently.
Having already lost the bus by then, Sasuke asked for a ride from the school's rich kid, Neji, who gladly accepted.
And as it is expected, cars go faster than school buses, so Sasuke had been home, long before Sakura had returned.
Sakura fed Luise and petted her on her head gently, letting out a motherly sigh. Her cat brought a smile on her lips whenever she returned home and there was no one else there to welcome her than her cute little pet.
She walked upstairs, dragging her feet on the steps, as she breathed heavily. She scolded herself for not eating good lately, it really had taken its toll on her.
She dropped her bag on the floor, once she was inside her room, and she rubbed her neck, letting out a tired sigh.
She left her room again, and headed towards the bathroom. But she stopped middleway, noticing that the door of Sasuke's room was half opened. She immediately felt the urge to go in it and search his stuff for anything that could link to Karin.
Nuh, you shouldn't do that, it's not your business what he's doing with other girls.
But I am his sister, I should know!
You know very well that this isn't the reason you want to know.
Oh hush.
After a brief internal conflict, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a deep breath.
She entered his room slowly, pausing to observe around. It wasnt the first time she had entered his room secretly, but it would be the first time she would search his stuff.
She didn't know if she was ready to accept whatever clue about Karin she might find in there, but even so, she proceeded, by instict.
Thinking that his bed stand would be the best place to start searching for personal stuff, she got on her knees in front of it, and slowly opened the case.
Plugging her fingers inside the small space, she started inspecting the small objects she saw. It was mostly stuff like cds with his favourite bands, posters of his favourite artists, game discs for his XBOX, hair gell, but she couldn't find what she was looking for.
Maybe, it'd be best if I just checked his cell phone secretly, when he gets bac
Sakura hadnt been able to finish her thought, when she froze on her spot. She felt someone leaning softly over her and she saw Sasuke's head ghosting over her shoulder, as he stared at his stuff being all messed up.
"How can I help you?" he asked, rising anger struggling to be conceiled in his voice.
Writer's Note: First of, thank you for favoriting my story, but I need reviews to move on. I dont want to sound ungrateful, I hope you get what I mean! Thanks for reading this, nontheless.
PS: I am in need of a Beta!