"Hey Sasuke."

She shot him a small smile as he sat down beside her. This was a strange sight to see, the Uchiha willingly sitting next to another human being. Usually he sat on the far right side of the room, away from everyone and anyone, and he never let anyone sit beside him. Those who dared to do so were met with an icy stare and a feeling of terror.

He nodded in her direction, trying to appear normal. "Hey."

Sasuke had no idea what he was doing. He should have come up with a plan, a ruse, something but he was so busy with his internal struggle that he forgot to actually give himself a plan, a back up plan, and an escape plan just in case things went horribly wrong, which they very well still could. He allowed himself to sneak a quick glance at her. For once she wasn't surrounded by her chatterbox friends, and he wondered if he was the reason they weren't here. He did intimidate the other students and so it wouldn't be surprising if he caused them to flee in terror at the sight of him. Honestly, he was glad.

Iruka-sensei hadn't arrived yet, so the genin were unsupervised and currently doing whatever the hell they felt like doing. Ankoku, without having anyone to talk to, had busied herself drawing some flowers and tree branches on the back cover of Sasuke's notebook. He wasn't sure if she thought it was her own book she was defacing, or if she just didn't care, but he was taking an interest in the young womans doodles.

She was good at drawing, unlike himself who could barely draw up a proportionate stick figure. He started to wonder if there was anything she wasn't good at... She had above-average good looks, she had decent grades, she was athletic, she was very social and likeable, and she could draw. Its almost like when the gods made her, they were so focused on making her great that they forgot to include and sort of flaws.

"I hope you don't mind." Her soft voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Your notebooks looked a little... bland so I decided to give them some character." She said, not taking her eyes off her work in progress. It was then that Sasuke noticed her own notebooks, and the "character" she had given them. A white notebook with the label "Genjutsu" written at the top in very neat and old-styled calligraphy had a nature scene doodled on the front cover. Green grass spotted with baby deer, a tree with a tire swing and a lake in the background. Her "Weapons" notebook had similar writing at the top but this one was a navy blue colour with white-out stars and a moon. A shooting star streaked through the middle while a moon-lit waterfall was nestled in the corner. It seemed she had quite the artistic talent. If she couldn't make it as a shinobi, which she most certainly could, she could make a living selling art.

"All done." She chimed, putting the lid back on her markers. His notebook wasn't as coordinated as hers was. Ankoku had just drawn random images such as flowers, a tree, what looked like a cartoon squirrel, stars, a couple of random coloured dots and a very fancy and colourful Konoha Leaf.

A small, very small, hardly noticeable smile had escaped his lips as he admired his new notebook. Ankoku thought she saw the Uchiha show a hint of amusement on his face but it was hard to tell with him. He was such a hard dude to read, but she knew him well enough to know that if he had had a problem with her defacing his property, he wouldn't have hesitated to let her know in the most rude, unfiltered way possible so it was safe to say he liked what she did.

"Can you draw?" She asked, gathering up the contents of her marker case and cleaning up the desk space before class started. Even though the Uchiha and the Tsubasa were both popular amongst their peers, the two had never actually spent any time together aside from the off class assignment or the occasional greeting when they were both in the same vicinity. Some of the older folk whispered among themselves, talking about how beautiful their children would be if they had ever decided to elope, and some of their fellow students were also curious as to what sort of couple the two beauties would be. Surely Sasuke's cold harshness and Ankoku's gentle warmth would clash and they wouldn't be very compatible but they would look good together.

Sasuke's fan girls also had the occasional thought of what would happen if the two of them had ever became a couple. He had never once shown any sort of positive emotion or romantic attraction towards any female in Konoha, and sometimes they wondered if he even swung that way, while some thought he could possibly be asexual, but there was no denying that they all knew very well that Ankoku Tsubasa would be extremely tough competition to beat if their beloved Sasuke had ever started to drift in her lane.

"Not really." He replied, handing her a bright yellow marker that had rolled over into his area. "Not like that anyway."

He spoke with his usual flat tone, with very little to no emotion, but he had actually spoken back to her with real words and not grunts, which was very unlike him. Ankoku wasn't a fan girl by any means, and she couldn't even call them friends really but she was always curious about the Great Sasuke Uchiha and had wanted to approach him on more than one occasion. He was a gifted shinobi with the highest scores possible and he had heard a few people refer to him as "The rookie to beat." He was also one of the only people in their class who never spoke a word to her, with the other being Shino Aburame. Even Hinata Hyuga herself spoke to Ankoku at least one or twice a week. It didn't really offend her as much as it made her curious. Who was Sasuke Uchiha really?

He was as mysterious as he was handsome, and she couldn't deny that he was handsome, but even so looks aren't everything and you can't judge someone solely based on how hot you think their face is. She knew pretty much next to nothing about him, and he also struck her as being very weird. There were several times she caught him staring at her, only for him to show .5 seconds of panic or shock before whipping his head around to face a different direction. Sometimes he would go out of his way to sit by her, or stand near her, but then as quickly as he came he would disappear just as fast. She often wanted to ask him what his deal was, ask if he had something to say to her or if he was just a weird dude but she decided to leave him alone. Cornering Sasuke Uchiha wasn't a smart decision.

"I'm really not that good." She laughed, reaching over and drawing a simple smiley face on his hand with a black pen. "Not as good as I could be anyway."

This was the moment he was waiting for. There they were, side by side, with no one around them. She was talking to him, she was interacting with him, and he knew that she was trying to engage with him further but this was way outside of Sasuke's realm of knowledge. He was good at punching and kicking things, his aim with a kunai was excellent and his fire jutsu was unmatched in strength and power but when it came to socialization, with a woman that he liked nonetheless, he was as clueless as Naruto. He had no idea what to say, or what to do.

"Hn." Was his reply.

She raised an eyebrow at him and it took everything he had to resist smashing his face into the cold hard desk below him. 'Sasuke you idiot.'

Before Ankoku could think of an appropriate thing to say to further a conversation with a guy who just "Hn"ed at her, Iruka-sensei entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late folks." He said, setting down the heavy books in his arms. "The Hokage called a meeting for all the teachers and we didn't expect it to drag on as long as it did."

Because their classes started so late, Iruka-sensei decided to let the students have a free period to catch up on some work. A large portion of the class got up and went outside to the field out back to practice for their upcoming exams, while some including Ankoku and Sasuke decided to linger behind and catch up on some book work.

Sasuke was still beating himself up for ruining a perfectly good opportunity to befriend her, while Ankoku was trying to figure out what his deal was. Why would he make the effort to come sit beside her if he was just going to ignore her? She knew that he wanted something but she had no idea what. His behaviour was as clear as day with the staring, the lingering and now this. Did he have something to ask her? Did he want to say something to her? Was there something he wanted to give her? Maybe he was just really shy?

Curiosity, and a little bit of frustration, had reached its limit and she turned herself to the left to ask him what was going on but before she could open her mouth, he spoke up.

"What are you doing after class?"

Her blood-red eyes stared into his pitch-black ones with all sorts of emotion. Confusion, worry, paranoia, shock, amusement, all kinds were present. Sasuke just asked her what she was doing after class. What a vague question... what would she tell him? Her original plan was to just go home and stuff her face with rice and read some of her notes, maybe continue working on the blanket she was knitting. All of those things could be done another time, they weren't super important besides the notes, and she wanted to know what this was all about.

"Nothing much." She said casually, tossing her long black hair out behind her back. "Why what's up?"

He hadn't expected it to get this far. Even though he showed up to class today with the goal in mind to ask her out, he had chicken out long ago and decided to just cower in fear and awkwardness beside her until class ended. However, he could tell by her sudden change in body language that his chance with her was slowly drifting way and he knew that if he didn't act fast, she would never give him a chance.

So when he asked her what she was doing after class, and her response indicated that she maybe-possibly-probably would be open to doing something with him, he froze. He hasn't expected it to get this far at all. He had nothing planned, no response, no explanation for his sudden question just... a blank space where his mind should be.

'Why are you like this?' He wondered, feeling himself getting more and more flustered. 'Just do it.'

He slowly turned towards her to see her looking up at him with an expression of puzzlement and... was that hopefulness he saw? Maybe she wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her. The thought had never crossed his mind, that Ankoku could also be interested in him in some way, shape or form. He did have many female admirers, but he didn't think she fell into that category. She just seemed so... different. So normal. So content with just being by herself or with her friends. He was so focused on how he felt about her, he never once thought about how she might feel about him.

Did she like him? At all? As a friend or as more? Or did she loathe and detest his very presence? He was very aloof and unapproachable, so naturally there was a significant amount of people who weren't too fond of the young Uchiha. He was also doing a very good job at blowing his first, and possibly only chance, so if he didn't step up know he would never know where her head was at.

"Would you-" He was interrupted by Iruka-sensei announcing the end of their free period and thus the end of class. The sounds of desks scraping, loud chatter and screams of excitement were all that could be heard as the students all scrambled to get out of class as fast as possible, after all it was Friday and they were all looking forward to having the weekend off. Sasuke turned towards Ankoku to try and finish what he was trying to say but a group of girls had swept in and kidnapped her, dragging out out the back doors. She looked back towards him twice on her way out, both times she had an expression on her face that told him she was apologetic and wanted to hear what he had to say. He sighed to himself and muttered a few curse words before packing up his own belongings and following after the crowd.

He would try again on Monday.

That night, he felt a whole mix of emotions. They were so intense, all of them clashing, fighting, whirring and stirring inside of him that he grew restless and impatient and made a trip to the training fields. It was 9pm, so it was dark, quiet and unoccupied. Just the way he liked it.

Being so overwhelmed with emotion, he didn't know where to begin so he started out by leisurely tossing kunai at one of the practice logs. His behaviour lately was so unlike him, so strange and unfamiliar... it gave him horrible anxiety. He wanted nothing more than to go back to who he was month ago, before he started to give in to his hormones and his emotions and his feeling and that woman. Sasuke had always had a small crush on Ankoku, because she was very much his type physically so of course it was lust at first sight for him, but once he got to see who she was as a person he realized that she was also his type in every other aspect as well. He didn't even know he had a type until then, but he knew that Ankoku Tsubasa was exactly that.

He was good at ignoring his feelings for a while, allowing himself the quick glance here and there, or the inappropriate thought once in a while, but as time went on he found himself longing for more than just a fantasy, more than just a look from a distance. He wanted to know what it was like to hug someone, to feel their warm body against yours as you wrapped your arms around one another. The sound of someone elses heartbeat, the sound of their breathing. He wondered what it was like to cuddle with another human being. To be little spoon, to feel someones lips against his own, to taste another. And because he was at that age, he wanted to know what it was like to have sex.

Blaming puberty and whacky hormones he decided to give in to these thoughts and these feelings, and allow himself to have those feelings for Ankoku. After all, he thought, its not like it means anything. But as time went on they began to mean everything. Every time he pushed those thoughts aside to think about his goal, his revenge, they burst forth even more intense than before. He started thinking less and less about hate and more and more about what its like to love and be loved, and this pissed him off. He hated himself for it, but he was in too deep and no matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he willed himself to stop and to change, he couldn't go back to who he was, to how he used to feel.

Sasuke was a human being. Sasuke has feelings. Sasuke has emotions. Sasuke is in love.

He hadn't noticed it, but while he was lost in his thoughts he began to throw his kunai with more and more aggression until the practice log became nothing more than a pile of splintered wood on the dirt below. 'Oh great.' He thought, struggling to pull the kunai free from its wooden prison. 'Look what you've made me do, Ankoku'

It took him a while, a long while, but eventually he succeeded in retrieving all of his kunai. One or two of them had a slight bend to them now but it was hardly noticeable and they still worked the same, or at least he hoped they would. His thoughts drifted back to the object of his affection. What is she up to this weekend? Sasuke had hoped that they would run into one another, casually in public. He also hoped that one day he would grow a pair and ask her out.

He was fearless in every other aspect of his life, but when it came to that one particular woman, she terrified him.

At the same time, far away from the training grounds, a certain red-eyed kunoichi was scheming all on her own. She sat cross-legged on a pillow on her floor, a cup of tea that had lost all its heat long ago sat beside her. Her long, black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, her pj's consisted of pink and white plaid pants and a pink tank top. Even though she looked like she should be goth, and her abilities were what a stereotypical goth kid would have, she really liked all things pink and fluffy. Even Sakura Haruno with her almighty pink hair would cringe at the sight of Ankoku's bedroom and all its pink glory.

"Now then you freaky boy you." Ankoku said, taking a sip of her cold tea. "I will figure you out."

Thankfully for Ankoku, Sasuke Uchiha had a routine that he never strayed away from. It was Friday night which meant tomorrow is Saturday, and every Saturday morning while Sakura is out for brunch with her parents and Ino is visiting her grandmother, Sasuke will be fearlessly wandering around the market, buying his groceries for the week. It was like clockwork. When he arrived tomorrow, she would be there waiting for him, and she will be ready. She currently had a bunch of papers spread out on the floor in front of her, with notes and thoughts scribbled chaotically.

She would figure him out one way or another.

When she approached him, he thought he was dreaming. When she asked him to hang out, he assumed he was hearing things. When she linked her arms in his and started to drag him away, he thought he was going to faint.

Every Saturday, Sasuke takes a trip to the market before Ino and Sakura are released from the grip of their families and begin their usual pursuit of him. However, today when he arrived at he market, he was met with an unexpected and quite pleasant surprise.

Ankoku Tsubasa.

She was leaning on a pile of cider crates off to the side, staring absentmindedly at the stall vendors and citizens of Konoha while they mingled with one another. She wore a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, black ankle boots, a tight fitted blank tank-top with a pink sweater over top. Her long hair, which was usually held back out of her face with a clip, was tied back in a low bun at the nape of her neck. He thought she looked extremely beautiful, as he thought everyday, but compared to her he felt very plain. He didn't care about anything when he woke up this morning so he threw on a pair of black pants, black flats, and a plain white t-shirt.

Before he had the chance to turn on his heel and run back the way he came, she had spotted him. When she saw him standing there, her face lit up and she ran in his direction. At first, he assumed he was imagining things but when she came to a stop in front of him he felt himself grow hopeful. Was she there to see him perhaps? It wouldn't be hard to find him today, after all everybody knew of his routine by now as he had been keeping it up for the last 8 years or so. Saturdays were spent at the market, and then the training grounds.

"Hey you." She greeted with a smile. "I was hoping I'd run into you today."

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat. "Y-you were?" Damn, he tripped on his own words and stuttered like a moron. Way to go loser, he thought mentally kicking himself in the ass, don't embarrass yourself. She nodded and continued smiling.

"You asked me what I was doing this weekend..." She spoke up, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "So I naturally assumed that, if you had gotten the opportunity to finish what you were saying, that you were going to ask me if I wanted to do something."

She paused. Waited. Sasuke did not know how to respond, but when she saw his cheeks turn 50 shades of red, she let out the breath that she had been holding. 'So I was right...'

When she first caught him staring at her, she didn't think much of it. He was a weird dude and spent a lot of time brooding so she thought he must have spaced out or something along the lines of that. But when it kept happening over and over, she started to wonder if he was interested in her. She started to grow more and more suspicious as time went on, and last night after much thinking, pondering, scribbling and much tea, she was pretty sure that the boy was interested in her, in that way, at least a little bit. It was just a hunch though, he could just be a weird dude.

Honestly, she felt flattered at the possibility of him having a crush on her. Sasuke Uchiha was very handsome and he was the most desirable man their age, besides Neji Hyuuga, and unbeknownst to him, Ankoku used to have a huge crush on him several years ago. She got over that after a few months when she realized that her feelings would never be reciprocated. Right now, getting a boyfriend currently isn't on her to-do list, but in light of recent events she was starting to wonder what it would be like to date him and old girlish feelings started to resurface.

Her face grew hot as she shook off the thoughts that started to plague her mind.

'Perish the thought lass.' She scolded herself. 'You aren't interested in boys right now.'

Authors Notes;

I'm trying to make a semi-realistic story.

Having 12-13 year olds going on dangerous missions and killing people seems suuuper weird to me so I upped their ages to 15-16.

My goal is to write a story that is a bit different, so I decided to start everything off with Sasuke hardcore crushing on a girl. As you can tell, this story is very Sasuke-centered and mostly focused on his feelings.

As I've mentioned before, Sasuke is human and humans have feelings. He may seem a bit OOC, but him being a teenager and developing a crush isn't out of the realm of possibilities.

Please leave me feedback :) It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

PS: "Ankoku Tsubasa" means "Shadow Wings" which is also the title of the story as I am very much not creative with naming things and took the easy way out.