Ahh! Haven't written in so long. I even had to reread the first chapter. Let me just express my gratitude if you're still around for this story (:

Okie..so not much romance so far But I'm getting there, I promise! I don't want to write a story with no plot, so my focus is split 50-50 between writing a good story and making it a good romance XP Again, suggestions or positive criticism would really help. I'm such a novice writer, haha, just want to have fun with a story. Please enjoy as much as you can (: I'll be updating more frequently since it's summertime~


Saying the next 7 hours would be hell was apparently a huge understatement. A snapshot of the Sasuke in his current surroundings would reveal a great deal to support this assertion…Sandwiched between two females—one he was on bad terms with and another he had no intention of acquainting himself with—Sasuke was in a very sorry state in deed. Karin, the obnoxious redhead girl in the aisle seat who forced an introduction out of him at first glance, had given up on trying to engage him in further conversation after several failed attempts in the first two hours. Sakura, who had been scribbling furiously in her journal (so typical of someone like her to keep a journal), had strategically angled her body to hide whatever secrets she scribed into her notebook from Sasuke. So, sitting in this awkward atmosphere, he deigned to absorb himself in his book, all the while uncomfortably aware of how stifling the negative aura emanating from Sakura was. Yeah, definitely no chance of a slight reprieve from their usual quarrels; it wasn't like Sasuke wanted to start this journey on a bad note. Things always took a turn for the worse when it came to his relationship with Sakura.

He could offer many examples of how this observation was only the truth. From the very moment he met her (at the still innocent age of 10), they had gotten off to a bad start. Sasuke had a very sharp memory; he had flashbacks all the time.

Covering his nose but doing little to staunch the spurt of blood gushing forth, Sasuke could not conceal his tears. His eyes betrayed emotions of bewilderment, pain, fear, and anger. He was sitting squarely on his stinging bottom, staring at the figure above him. To the readers now, it must be no surprise that the source of his injury was Sakura….who now stood in a confident pose, the offending fist still held up, about to make a point.

"My name's Sakura Haruno. Our daddies are friends, so we should be friends too. But if you ever do that again, I'll punch your face and break your nose. Again." And with that, she turned around and flounced away, glad to have exacted punishment on the boy who had curiously commented on the extraordinary size of such a forehead on such a tiny girl….

Okay…so maybe that was his fault. Not the point! They were destined to be at odds with each other. Sasuke massaged the bridge of his nose. Snapping his book shut, he ignored the hopeful look Karin shot in his direction. Sorry, still not interested in getting smitten with you…I'm still on Sakura's really bad side, Sasuke said to her in his head. Socializing with females in the presence of Sakura always made the fire of her temper flare even higher; she wasn't jealous. It probably just pissed her off to see her sex act in a way that was degrading to their general image—in front of Sasuke, most could not resist his so called charms. And, for some reason, Sakura was also convinced that Sasuke was a pompous playboy who could be seen with a different girl every time they met (every month or so). And, she wouldn't hear a word of his explanation: Sakura, I am a guy. You realize that don't you? Just because I'm trying to find a girl I like doesn't make me a criminal. And there's no way I'm going to know that unless I make myself available. And…unsurprisingly, his words went in one ear, and promptly went out the other. Well, he had been with a lot of women (taking some advantage from his good looks wasn't a crime, right?) but he definitely wasn't a womanizer. But maybe that was baseless (Sasuke couldn't objectively decide if she was right or wrong) but it was what she thought, and since he couldn't change her mind—never could—he might as well play it safe and try to get back in her graces. The best way to do that was to lie low and do nothing. With that thought, he subtly turned to face Sakura, who seemed a little alarmed by his direction, and promptly closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

Sakura's POV

What the hell is this bastard thinking? Now I have to stare at his annoying face for the next four remaining hours…Sakura stabbed Sasuke's face over and over again with the imaginagry daggers that were shooting from her eyes. He was unperturbed and remained dosing, his face defiantly turned in her direction. Oh, the nerve…Sakura was still burning from embarrassment because of that episode before boarding commenced. That idiot just didn't know when to be discreet or to be silent. Still twisted in the uncomfortable position that afforded her some privacy from prying eyes like Sasuke's, she took this time to readjust and scan everything she had written thus far.

March 4th, 2010 –On the Plane to Italy

Ever since father forced me on this trip, I've been trying to keep an optimistic outlook on this whole ordeal…But nothing I do will ever make me reconcile myself with the jerk who's sitting next to me. I don't know how it's even possible, but everything he does manages to piss me off. I don't know how I'm going to get through the next two weeks. He'll be the only person I know in the entire continent, for pete's sake! This is not the way I want to start off a trip to one of the most beautiful countries in Europe…But there's nothing I can do about this situation.

On another note, I'm surprised by my father's insistence on this trip. Could he harbor some ulterior motive…? He's not one to hide things from me. Mom, if only you could see me from heaven now…can you tell me what's going on in father's head? Is this trip really meant for a reconciliation between Sasuke and me? I can't shake off this feeling of suspicion.

Sasuke finally closed her journal. With a sigh, she tucked it into pocket of the seat before her. After throwing one more reproachful glance towards Sasuke, she threw a blanket over herself as well, eventually falling asleep.

Sasuke POV

It was the turbulence that woke him up. He was concious now, but quite reluctantly so. His eyes were still closed…but he could detect a faint, sweet scent. What was it? It was very feminine. He wondered what it was. Now he opened his eyes—and nearly jumped in his seat.

Sakura's face was only an inch away from his own.

Had her eyes been open, Sasuke was sure it would have mean Sakura was angry and wanted to ask him about something. But like this, she looked very peaceful and serene. It was often he had a chance to stare at her like this.

Her lashes were very long. Curly too. He was surprised to see that eyelashes were actually a light shade of pink like her hair. Up close, her skin looked very smooth and flawless. Her pert nose, which was usually turned up in disdain for him, and small cherry lips, where were usually turned down in an unapproving frown, fit well with the rest of her face. Sakura was very beautiful; Sasuke was just largely unaware of this fact because her mercurial character often preoccupied him. That aspect of her person kept him busy enough.

As though snapping out of a trance, Sasuke moved back a little, and turned the other way. Thank goodness. Karin on the otherside was also fast asleep, though in a far less graceful manner. The snoring must have also roused him from his sleep somewhat…At this time, Sasuke glanced at the screen a few rows ahead of him. The information stated that there was only half an hour left before they were to land. As if on cue, a voice over the loudspeaker made an announcement about their imminent arrival. By his side, Sasuke sensed some movement. Sakura was now grumbling in discontentment. As she moved around some more, she slowly emerged from her own sleep, and seemed to be have forgotten where she was. Her heavy-lidded eyes searched the surroundings. Upon seeing sasuke, a look of distaste and surprise flit across her face. Then realization dawned that they were still on the plane. And the look of distaste stayed. Sasuke forgot that he was actually making eye contact with her. He only realized after Sakura suspiciously asked him, "What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?"

Sasuke sighed. "No, it's nothing…" He only wished Sakura wasn't so quick to associate his actions towards her with negative things…if she was half as nice as she was when asleep, things would be so much easier. "Is it so bad that I'm looking at you? I'm sure that's not a crime."

"yeah yeah. The sooner this trip ends, the better. Making eye contact with you melts my eyes. No pleasure there at all…Why don't you just turn your head the other way. I'm sure she wouldn't mind your attention once she wakes up."

This seemed to be a trap. If he turned the other way, she was sure to interpret this as a sign that he was eager to get friendly in a romantic way with that Karin girl. So, he simply turned to face forward. He ignored her sharp remarks. Once they were off the plane, he was sure she would become much less grouchy.

Sakura pOV

Sitting next to Sasuke brought Sakura such displeasure. The way he stared at her, she was sure that he was only going to complain if she gave him the chance. Over the next half hour, food was served. There was such a lack of space for their seating that any little movement caused a huge stir. In such a situation, eating in a peaceful manner was nearly impossible. It wasn't long before an accident finally happened.

Sakura was small in comparison so she was having less trouble moving around. But when it came to accepting the drink the airplane attendant was handing her, conditions were just right for an accident to occur. Sasuke had leaned down in his seat to put his book back in his travel bag. At the same time, the flight attendant had chosen this moment to hand over Sakura's cup of orange juice. Just as Sakura was about to take it, Sasuke suddenly sat up.

"Oh no—" The words flew out of the flight attendant's mouth as soon as she saw Sasuke move up. But it was too late.

In one smooth motion, the cup was knocked out of the attendant's hand as Sasuke's head came in contact with it. The liquid was ejected in the general direction of Sakura's chest. It made contact with her shirt. And completely soaked it.

Oh shit. Sasuke's face said it all.

A few ice cubes were cradled in Sakura's lap. Her hands were still held before her. They were frozen in a position as though she were about to catch something. The OJ had sort of landed on her chin, so her mouth was open in horror as it slowly dripped onto her already ruined shirt.

"Oh. My. God." Sakura was no longer suspended in time. She pulled the tshirt away from her skin, staring down at the damage. Sasuke seemed abashed. He quickly asked for some tissue, and once he got some, started to dab and then rub at her tshirt with the napkins in earnest. He didn't say a word. finally, she thought of something to say. "This is why I hate being anywhere near you." He didn't wince when he heard those words. But she was already pissed; eliciting no reaction from him was the last thing she wanted. "Will you just stop it. It's already wet. Your incessant rubbing isn't going to help. Now get your hands away from my boobs!"

That was awfully loud. And now she was embarrassed. Now she realized something that was even more mortifying. The orange juice had made her t-shirt—which was a very light pink—slightly transparent…the outline of her lacy bra could be discerned…and it was becoming more apparent by the second. Her head snapped up and she glared at Sasuke once more. Then she turned read again. Apparently he had also observed the transparency of her shirt. Now he quickly turned his face away. His expression had been stony and quickly composed.

"Sorry." Then everything ended and Sakura was left to clean up the rest of her wardrobe malfunction.

Well, sorry doesn't do it, buster.


Haha not much development there. Hmm.. and shorter than I thought. I started writing this chapter a long time ago. I'm having a hard time writing about the characters in a way that'll show them both hating each other; as in, I feel like I'm making Sakura the villain by making her look so judgmental in this chapter. Haha every1 must be thinking aww poor sasuke…but that's just her character….

I took some time to write out an outline for the story. I hope this works out well…it's turning out to be quite the endeavor now that I've got everything thought out…

Please review though! I really need feedback. I feel weird writing again; I'll try to make the next chapter have a little more romance and development :P things will get better once they're in italy, I promise XD

Thanks to whoever's actually reading. I'd love to hear from you though. Just to know I'm not in this alone. XP till next time!