Notes: This WAS a oneshot. Was.
Title: Exchange Student
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Author: i.Datt/dattabayo (lj)
Original prompt by: cuito (lj)
Summary: In which she is an exchange student from Suna, and he can't figure her out. SasuSaku. AU.
Sasuke leaned back in his chair, his arm resting on his desk as he--
Aw shit.
He was so not doing it again...was he?
He was.
Damn.
Hey, it wasn't his fault that they ended up sitting next to each other.
(Okay, so that was a lie. He had deliberately placed himself at her side. She had already been seated when he had entered the classroom.)
Sakura didn't seem to have noticed his staring, and proceeded to doodle in her notebook. Her tongue poked out of the side of her mouth in quite an adorable way as she fixated her attentions on her drawing. Green eyes sparkling with concentration behind her glasses, she smiled, brushing away the pinkish-gray eraser bits as she looked her work.
Curiosity bit at Sasuke's insides. Not willing to pass up this chance (or rather, excuse) to be near her, he stood and walked the short distance between their desks.
Now hovering over her shoulder, Sasuke observed Sakura's sketch. It took up most of the vertical page. The petals of the rose were delicately shaped, fully capturing the shaky lines of nature. The head of the flower was gracefully contained within the sepals that connected effortlessly with the stem. Every centimeter or so, a detailed thorn sprouted out of the curving green pillar, and two rough leaves were blended in towards the middle, one slightly above the other. The entire thing was shaded expertly.
It looked like a black and write photograph, with the exception of a few leftover sketch lines.
"You have a knack for this," he said in his usual monotone.
"What?" Sakura squeaked in surprise, jumping in her chair before turning to face him. "Sa-Sasuke-san!"
A pretty blush decorated her cheeks, and he smirked, leaning down on the back of her seat. "Hn. You heard me."
Sakura went darker, but smiled politely. "Th-thanks, Sasuke-san."
"Sasuke-kuuuunnn!"
Both Sasuke and Sakura flinched visibly, the latter turning around in her chair. A girl with bright red hair and glasses had materialized in front of Sakura's desk, wearing a miniskirt that looked far too small and an extremely tight shirt to match. Obviously a fangirl, she peered at Sakura's elaborate drawing, and snorted snobbishly.
"Tsk," she said, her upper lip curling. "Pathetic. My baby cousin draws better than that."
Sasuke had a sudden urge to punch her.
"Sasuke-kun," she simpered, leaning on the desk and looking at him under hooded eyes. "Why are you hanging around this pink-haired slut? She obviously has no talent. I mean, on looks alone..." --she sneered at Sakura-- "Who the hell has pink hair anyway?"
Sakura looked slightly hurt, her eyes quickly turning downcast. Sasuke growled menacingly, but the redhead paid no attention.
"Look at that huge forehead, it's horrid. There's probably nothing behind it either. Just another good-for-nothing girl with no brains and no talent."
Sasuke stood up straight, eyes burning with rage, ready to act on the urge he had gotten earlier but before he could do so--
SLAP.
Sakura was on her feet, fists clenched and teeth grinding. A red mark shaped like her petite hand was imprinted on the girl's cheek, who looked like she had just been electrocuted.
"Shut the hell up!" Sakura shrieked, pure unadulterated fury radiating from her entire body. "I have no talent? Look at in a mirror, you self-centered bitch! What talent do you have besides degrading yourself?"
Sasuke's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. What a firecracker. Not many people could stand up to the "president" of the Uchiha Sasuke fanclub. Noticing that Sakura looked ready to kill, he spoke up.
"Karin," he began darkly. The smirk that had unknowingly crept onto his lips left in favor of a scowl. "Leave."
She wiped the shocked expression from her face, going back to her flirtatious tone and batting her eyelashes. "But why, Sasuke-kun? I thought you liked me."
He put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, who was gripping her pencil like a knife. "Leave," he repeated, his brow furrowing in irritation.
Karin huffed, but retreated out the door, looking thoroughly pissed (and most likely, late for homeroom).
Sakura let out a deep, calming sigh, plopping back down into her chair. She smiled up at Sasuke. "Thank you."
He raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was thanking him. However, he brushed it off with a tilt of his lips. "No problem."
Their homeroom teacher, Hatake Kakashi, walked in, apologizing for his lateness. (His lame excuse was rewarded with a loud chant of "LIAR!" from the entire class.) Meanwhile, Sasuke pulled out a notebook, turning to the back page, which he was unlikely ever to use for educational purposes, and began a list.
--
Notes On Haruno Sakura
1. She does not wear make-up.
2. She does not wear skirts.
3. She could care less about what she looks like.
4. She is not a fangirl.
5. She is extremely modest about things she does well, such as art.
6. She picked a fight with Karin.
--
Rereading his work, Sasuke's brow furrowed. This was all he had? It wasn't enough. There was something about this Sakura girl, something he couldn't quite place.
He snapped his notebook shut as the bell rang for first period, thoroughly unhappy with himself. Standing up, he glanced at Sakura, who gave him a bright smile. Sasuke smirked.
He would finish his list later.
(He had a feeling it was far from done.)
--
tbc
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