Count with me,
one, two, and—
No.
.
.
Stop. You're not ready,
just not yet.
.
.
"Gambatte, Sakura!"
She's prepared:
Studying, sleeping, and prepping.
.
.
But is she sure?
.
.
One nod, one smile—
"My little boy's growing up!"
—and one mother's cry.
.
.
He just has to be,
Ready, prepared
and sure, that is.
.
.
"You're embarrassing him, okaa-san."
He'll blush while she—
.
"Arigato, 'kaa-san! I'm off!"
—smiles; but together they'll—
.
—wave goodbye.
.
.
She skips down the street.
He enters the luxurious car.
They hold one destination in common:
.
.
Konoha Academy.
.
.
.
. like yesterday
chapter one
At first, no one believed it. They thought, "It must've been a fluke—a joke, perhaps." Who could believe she of all people could've gotten into Konoha Academy? Her mother? Her father? Of course, without a doubt her parents had not once question the results of the entrance exams' scores. Even then, if the results were in bold print; how could a commoner such as Haruno Sakura afford the school?
Simple:
as a scholarship student.
And with that she'd prove them wrong. That it was no fluke and that no matter how much of a commoner she maybe, she will be worth it.
.
because she just has to.
.
.
He's an Uchiha and that meant everything.
It wasn't just a last name—no, of course not, it was everything that came with it. It was greatness that was expected after your birth. Things like brilliance, leadership, strength, power, but most importantly: to never let anythingor anyonerule over thyself; emotions and all. And with all of this, one will be given high regards and respect. An Uchiha is to be feared and to be envied by all.
Like many before him, he was raised like any young male child of the Uchiha Clan. By the ideals that were set many years ago by the founders of the clan and nothing else.
.
because no one could defy tradition.
.
.
The car comes to a halt,
"Boochama, tsukimasta."
His head turns towards the window.
.
.
First days?
Pointless.
.
.
The door opens,
"Chizu."
And he bows as the young master
steps out of the car.
.
.
"Have a nice day, boochama."
"Hn."
.
.
Her eyes are wandering,
searching for her name,
under the first year's section.
.
.
The noises:
squeals of joy,
laughter of others,
& voices filled with life.
They all muffle,
they all sound the same.
.
.
Haruno, Sakura.
Her eyes reach to the top of the list:
Class 1-A
smiling, she turns.
.
.
Bam!
.
.
"Oh, goodness—"
"—Gomen!"
"It's not your—"
"I should've watched where—"
They smile at each other and apologize.
.
.
"I'm Tenten; it's nice to meet you!"
They shake hands.
"Watashi wa Haruno Sakura!"
.
And thus it begins,
a new friendship arise.
.
.
.
.
The faces, the uniforms, the classrooms, the hall ways, the building, the words that escape others lips—all the same. The gossip may change; the fights may be between different people but it was all similar in some way to the last.
But what was the worst part of illusion
of things never changing?
Was it that things would become boring?
Was it that one could get tired of the meals?
Was it that—
.
No. Just stop. It could never be any of these things. It was simple really:
.
Everyone knew each other.
Do you get it now? Everyone knew who was who. Everyone knew your life story somehow. You think you'd have some privacy at such an elite and magnificent school, but you'd be wrong. Oh, how wrong you'd be. They'd know what would be going on with your family's achievements or downfalls, or who you'd be dating and so on. And wouldn't you want to get away from it all?
.
Maybe so but,
once you're in,
Konoha Academy…
There is no escape really. Someone is going to figure something out.
.
.
Someone always does.
.
.
.
.
No one could deny it; Uzumaki Naruto knew how to run.
His fast paced footsteps are deafening. He nods to the females who know him and says hello to his male acquaintances as he runs down the hallways. His lungs contract over and over again as he turns the corner and goes straight down. As he picks up speed, he can hear the slight breeze he is creating in his ears.
He is not out of breathe, he could never be. His blonde hair doesn't move out of place for it is styled to his liking. He breaks no sweat in this process of searching.
For he's determined to find someone,
"Hey!" Someone yells.
He turns his head to look at the girl he's bumped shoulders with, "—Sorry, Kaoru! I need to find—"
…Bam!
It happens.
.
.
His so called search is over, done, complete.
"Naruto?"
Naruto yells out there names at the sight of three rather than just one. "Neji, Kiba, Gaara!"
Gaara rolls his eyes. "The bell hasn't rang yet and you're being so irritating." The blonde immediately frowns but it fades quickly and is replaced with his usual smile.
He has information that must be known. "Guys you'll never believe what happened—"
"Wait is it something stupid?"
"Obviously, it's Naruto aft—"
"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO—"
"Keep it down will you, we're indoors."
"Well?"
"You know we're blocking the hall way."
"True. It's your entire fault, Kiba."
"Hell it is. What makes—"
"KAMI, I FOUND MY DREAM GIRL!"
.
.
Silence.
.
.
And all the group of three stands with expressions that one could not read even if they were there to witness such an event. The blonde before them waits in anticipation for an answer for either one of them.
After what seems like ages the blonde speaks.
"Well?"
.
.
The three blink and begin to walk pass the blonde as if he was never there. Uzumaki Naruto's friends were cruel but then again so was he. They rarely meant majority of the things they did to one another or to anyone for that matter. Thus, the blonde glares at the back of the group of three's heads before turning his heals and proceeding to follow.
"Assholes…" He mumbles.
They hear him of course, for his whispers and mumbles aren't quite hushed.
The long brunette locks and pearl orbs replies: "Hn."
"…Emotionless bastards."
"Dope."
"Fuck you, Neji."
"I'd rather you not. Thanks."
.
.
.
The bell rings,
it's time.
.
You think you're ready?
.
.
Think again.
'Cause there is
this thing:
F A T E.
.
.
Want to know something
funny about this thing one
calls fate?
.
.
It works:
hard and at
a pace that is,
wonderful
and
painful.
All at the same time.
.
.
(or so the tune goes.)
.
.
.
Class 1-A is filled with those who scored the highest out of most in the first years during the entrance examinations. It nothing special to most students of Kohona Academy, it is just like any other classroom they've been in during their education. The room has adequate lighting, unsoiled desk, a bulletin board located in the back and a chalk board in the front along with a podium for the teacher. There is a cabinet located in the back along with an elongated shelf for bags and such.
Nearly everyone is in a seat of their choice except for a selected few. The room is filled with chatter and laughter as they wait for their assigned homeroom teacher. There is not one person in the room that doesn't know who is who.
"Did you hear…"
"…And they had the nerve—"
"So, father thought it'd be a good idea if…"
"No, get out!"
"Seriously, where is that—"
A sliding door opens and a man in a doctor-like mask enters the room. He has gray hair but shows no signs of old age on his face. One can only tell that he smiling by simply looking at his eyes that have a slight sparkle in them. He steps onto the podium after he places the book on his desk, and clears his throat.
The students notice his presence and seize their conversations. Those sitting, straighten their backs while the ones standing find a seat. They all lower their voice till the room becomes completely silent. Everything seems to be perfectlynormal.
But it is not. It cannot be, for there is some sort of imbalance in the room. It is the empty desk located near a group of boys that could catch the eyes of any girl as they walked by on the streets.
"Ohayou."
"Ohayou, sensei." While some are serious, a few reply lazily.
He turns his back and begins to write his name. Hatake Kakashi it reads in Kanji. He turns around, his eyes with a slight squint for his smile is wide behind the mask. And like any first day at Konoha Academy, the homeroom teacher opens his mouth and says oh-so-formally, "I am Hatake Kakashi, and I will be your homeroom and English teacher for this following year. It is a pleasure it meet you all."
There is no response from the students as they all simple look straight ahead and wait for him to continue. "As you all know, your class is filled with the brightest of your year. As such, the Academy expects…" He continues on with the speech that was given to him before hand to the students.
The students sit there half paying attention, half asleep. It is nothing special really, they do not care for the first day because it is all an introduction. All they cared about was for the day to be over. And though no one ever truly mentions it, most of the students at the Academy await for the first two weeks or so to end. For that is when they know their routine and learn whether or not, the year was going to be something to look forward too.
After what has seem to be hours but has only been merely two minutes, Kakashi has announce that he will begin to take roll. As he says the names out loud and hands are raised a pair of light blue eyes fall to the desk beside him.
The boy with the light blue eyes happens to be Naruto. He is looking at the desk intently and wonders to himself, "What if…" but he stops himself in mid-thought.
"Haruno, Sak—"
.
.
The door slides,
and fate?
It begins its job.
.
.
There standing at the door is Haruno Sakura flustered. She bows her head, her pink locks falls down over her face. "Gomennasi, sensei. I got lost on my way to—"
Kakashi waves her off and chuckles a little. "It's fine. Please, take your seat."
She nods and turns her head towards the other end of the room. Her emerald eyes scan the room and walks towards the empty desk in the middle of the room. For a moment her eyes squint for something has caught her eye or rather someone. The longer she looks the sooner she makes out what has caught her eyes thus, they widen. She stops at the side of her desk. Her head turns slightly but before she can catch herself from doing anything more, Kakashi speaks once more.
"Haruno, Sakura?"
She turns, "Hai?"
"Please take your seat so I can continue roll call."
It seems to the teacher that she is taking too long to reach her seat. She nods embarrassed sitting down in the seat. A few students around her turn around to look at her. They gave her the classic once over before turning around. Those behind her whisper silently but only for a few moments. As soon as it had occurred, the small commotion has come to a halt. It is as if her entrance had never happened and everyone is waiting quietly for the roll call to end.
Though she sighs with some remorse, she feels very out of place. None the less, she does everyone's example. She straightens up in her desk and places her hands somewhere she felt was right—her lap. And like everyone else she holds a bored expression on her face and does nothing but sits still and waits.
She is not aware of boy looking at her in awe. In return, he does not know she is silently cursing herself in her head.
.
.
.
.
The room is restless. It is lunch time.
"Go talk to her."
"Demo—"
Haruno Sakura cannot hear their whispers for she is not where they are. She is with Mari late at night speaking to a boy named Takahashi in a park feeding cats. Sakura is a different world than everyone else in Class 1-A. At the moment, she is in the world that Haruki Murakami wrote in a book called After Dark. She sits quietly focused on the literature in her hand unaware of true reality.
The boy who sits beside her in class isn't listening to his friends speak, instead he casts glances at her. Ever since she entered the classroom, he has been intrigued like the rest of the people in the room. Different words that form into individual questions run through his mind. Ones like: Who is she? Why is she here? What was with her hair? And those eyes...
Before he knows it he gets up from sitting on top of a desk and walks down the aisle. He walks slowly till he reaches the side of her desk. He clears his throat. She makes no move to look up.
"Ano... Boku wa Uzumaki Naruto—"
A few turn their head and watch as the blonde introduces himself to the new student. The only slight movements she makes is her chest moving up and down slowly and her eyes blinking every once in a while. He waits for her to say anything in return, to move but nothing.
Scratching the back of his neck, his eyebrows crinkle. "Nee, Haruno-san."
And though no one can see it, she stops her breathing for a mere second before turning her head to look up at the blonde. Her emerald eyes look at his well styled locks to his whisker like marks on his checks and finally to his clear blue eyes.
"Hai?"
His eyes widen. Like her appearance, her voice is just as beautiful. It may have only been a simple world to anyone else but to Uzumaki Naruto it was lyrical and almost surreal. "Boku wa Uzumaki Naruto! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Her facial expression doesn't change—vacant as ever she only blinks. Then it happens. After hearing the boy shout a greeting she does something unthinkable. The sides of her lips curve upward and her mouth opens slightly. She smiles for a mere moment and then, she giggles.
.
.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Uzumaki-kun."
.
.
He looks away.
Her smile disappears. The book mark on her desk is placed within her book. "Did I do something wrong?"
His eyes widen and he turns back to look at her. With arms waving in front of him, he frantically says, "No! Absolutely not! I—"
She giggles once more, he blushes.
"What?"
She only stares at him with a smile before say, "You're funny, Uzumaki-kun."
He, Uzumaki Naruto, could swear on only one thing:
Haruno Sakura could be his dream girl.
.
.
.
Konoha Academy's rooftop.
The area is spacious and clean. There are benches near one of the railings. These benches are situated into a square with plants on each of the "corners." The entrance way is found in a building like structure somewhere near the middle of the rooftop.
The place is quite with the exception of the sounds made by the light breeze in the air. The sky is filled with few clouds and is a nice shade of light blue. It's where one could find those who came to clear their thoughts or wished to have a few moments of privacy.
It is perhaps Uchiha Sasuke's favorite place in the Academy.
Arms folded, he is leaning against the railings by the benches of the rooftop. His eyes do not seem to be looking anywhere in particular but his gaze is most likely to the sky. His face is vacant but his thoughts are not. He thinks of his life. And yet he cannot seem to figure out why but, he thinks to Class 1-A.
He thinks to where he was forced to sit by his annoying blonde best friend. And he thinks of—
.
.
"Sasuke-kun!"
.
.
For a few seconds, he is seven again. He is free and alive. He is in a place that was a secret held between him and his mother; one that his father knew nothing about. His eyes sparkle as he laughs and he is with her. The girl that was clumsy, that seemed to cry if laughed at, that had a smile that could break one's heart, and that at the time seemed to be more important than anything in his world.
His thoughts all fall back to the girl he knew he'd never see again. Though there were nights where memories of her would haunt him. How he would have nightmares of the same girl crying by the swings screaming out his name; calling out words like why till it became something unbearable causing him to wake. There were others where he'd dream of being seven again running around in the park with her and feeling content.
He thinks of the girl with a big forehead, pink hair, and emerald eyes—
.
.
.
He thinks of Haruno Sakura,
the girl he wished to never see again.
.
.
.
—But fate will not let him have his desire to become true. After all, she worked so hard to get into the Academy.
.
.
.
Haruno Sakura hums a tune from one of her favorite Korean bands, Epik High as she washes her hands. The dismissal bell had rung ten minutes ago and she had already made plans with her new friend Tenten to walk to the station together. She wipes her hands with one of the paper towel from a dispenser in the bathroom before pushing the door open with her hip.
Bam!
Her humming stops; she falters.
"—Ah!"
For the second time today, Sakura has bumped into someone. The person who has caught her in her arms freezes.
She slowly opens her eyes while her mouth moves, "Gomen…na…sai…"
It only takes her a second to have her eyes adjust and then widen. Her eyes meet dark charcoal like orbs and her heart skips a beat.
"Sa...suke?"
.
.
.
...to be continued...
.
.
author's note: And there you have it chapter 1! (: So guys a few things you might be wondering... -cough- ehem. Any questions or concerns please do send me a PM or REVIEW. If you are too lazy to google translate the terms in here you may or may not know ('cause I would be too, keke.) then again, just ask! I won't mind at all :D
Lastly, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hope you have a nice day/afternoon/night!
[original post: 5/8/12; update: 5/29/12]