The next day Sasuke woke up in a very good mood. He stretched the stiffness out of his muscles then sat up. With a few minutes to spare before he had to get up he took a moment to contemplate the previous day's events, a smile forming on his childish face. He then threw the covers off his body and placed his feet on the floor. He shivered slightly at the cold contact and then dashed towards the kitchen where he could hear his parents talking.
"Good morning, Sasuke. Did you sleep well?" his mother asked him as soon as she sensed him in the doorway. "Yes, mother." He answered, sitting at the table with his father. "Good morning, father." He mumbled. Fugaku sat in his usual stiff fashion at the head of the small table, his face stern and tense, he seemed like he was contemplating a lot of serious issues. His expression was, in a way, very similar to the one Sasuke had worn during the previous night. "Morning." He muttered. Sasuke bowed his head in disappointment. He had hoped to hear his father talk to him, ask him how he was or what he had been doing at the academy; but he didn't. He never did.
"Where's Itachi?" Sasuke asked once he noted the absence of his brother's usual comforting smile after his father's cold indifference. "I asked him to do me a favour before breakfast." Sasuke sighed and followed his mother's graceful movements through the kitchen with his gaze. As if she sensed his disappointment she turned around and smiled at him. "He said he'd take you to the academy after." Sasuke's face lit up and he started eating his breakfast with vigour. Mikoto laughed. "Slow down Sasuke! You've got enough time to eat your breakfast without your hands becoming blurs!" she said running a hand through his spiky hair. He looked up at her and smiled sheepishly, then forcefully swallowed the large bite he had in his mouth.
"Good morning, little brother." Itachi said as he entered the kitchen a few minutes later with a paper bag clutched tightly in his hand. He ruffled Sasuke's hair slightly leaving it even spikier than before and walked up to Mikoto who was scowling at him slightly for spiking his brother's hair after she had just managed to somewhat tame it. "Here you go mother. I honestly don't know what you could possibly want so many Senbei for." He muttered. At the mention of his favourite snack Sasuke's head whipped around and his sight was fixed on to the paper bag his brother had carried in with him. His mother and brother both laughed and even Fugaku's lips curved slightly at his youngest son's reaction. "I asked your brother to go buy them for you so you could take them to the academy". Mikoto explained while opening the bag to inspect its contents.
Her eyes widened when she saw just how full the bag was. "Itachi, I asked you to buy ten! There must be more than twenty in this bag." Itachi smiled. "I got caught up talking to auntie and I mentioned Sasuke's new friend to her and she may have put some extra crackers in there." He looked sideways at Sasuke who had made a little noise of protest in his throat. "What's wrong little brother?" he asked. Sasuke's eyes had widened and his eyebrows were deeply furrowed. "You told auntie?" he asked, clearly annoyed. "Is there a problem with that?" Itachi asked smirking. "Now she'll tell everyone!" Sasuke moaned. Mikoto placed her hands on her hips and watched Sasuke give his brother another annoyed look before huffing and turning back to his food.
"Don't worry Sasuke. No one's going to steal Sakura from you." Itachi said poking his brother's head with a cheeky grin. Sasuke tilted his head but kept eating even as he felt the heat rush up to his cheeks. "That's enough Itachi. Stop teasing your brother." Itachi chuckled and sat down to eat his own breakfast while Sasuke nodded his head once in agreement with his mother.
Once the two brothers had finished eating Mikoto gave Sasuke his lunch as well as the bag of Senbei and walked them both to the door. "Remember Sasuke, be good. And don't eat all those crackers by yourself." She said. "I won't!" Sasuke answered happily and began his walk down the road towards the academy. "Could you be any blunter mother?" Itachi asked her before following his brother. "Don't criticise my mothering techniques Itachi." She said playfully to her son. "You do know that the chances of him actually sharing are minimal, right?" he asked her. Mikoto sighed. "He needs to learn to get along with other people Itachi." She told him. They could hear Sasuke calling his brother, telling him to hurry up. Itachi took a few steps in the direction Sasuke had gone then stopped and turned to his mother. "If he shares those, I swear I'll start planning a wedding." He stated before breaking into a light jog to catch up to his little brother who was starting to worry about being late. Mikoto watched them walk away, Sasuke pulling on Itachi's sleeve forcefully to get him to walk faster. She then looked up at the sky and noticed that some very dark clouds were on the horizon and that in a few hours it would probably start to rain.
"I hope Sasuke gets home before it starts to rain. It looks like it'll be quite a storm." She said while she entered the kitchen where her husband was still seated. "He'll be fine." He muttered he got up and headed to the door, kissing her lightly on the cheek. As he was turning to leave Mikoto wrapped her hands around a fistful of his shirt's material and turned him towards her, their faces inches apart. "Fugaku, you need to start showing interest in Sasuke as well. All he wants is your respect, like Itachi." She whispered to him brushing her hand across his face gently. "Hm." He leant his head against hers. "He met a girl yesterday." She told him. "So I heard." He answered, breathing out slowly. "She likes him." She continued. "Of course she likes him, he's our child." She smiled and closed her eyes as well. She knew that for her husband there was no greater praise. "Sasuke likes her too." Fugaku pulled back slightly, he had opened his eyes and had his eyebrows ever so slightly raised. "Is that so?" he asked. Now Mikoto was wary, she found his sudden interest suspicious. "Yes, at least that's what Itachi told me." She answered cautiously. "I see," He said as he looked out the kitchen window with a thoughtful look on his face. "I would very much like to meet this girl. Why don't we invite her and her family for dinner?" Mikoto's eyes widened and her mouth lay slightly open. She couldn't believe it, when she had begun this conversation with her husband she had hoped to get him to prove that he had at least listened to her while she and Itachi had talked in the kitchen earlier that morning about Sasuke's new friend. She never thought he'd propose something like that!
"But- but you hate having people over!" she stuttered. "I'm just curious about this girl that has Sasuke acting so differently." He explained, smiling and pulling his wife into his chest. "Fugaku, they met yesterday. Don't you think this might be too sudden?" she asked. "Says the woman who sent Itachi to buy those rice crackers Sasuke loves so much to get him to share with the girl." Fugaku laughed. Mikoto swatted his chest playfully. "Sneaky bastard, you're always listening in on everything aren't you?" He rubbed the area she had punched, his wife may not have gone on many missions lately but she was still a jonin and had a very good punch. "Head of the police." He reminded her. She scowled at him and he just smirked back and kissed her once more before walking out the door and heading to work. She began washing the dishes and muttering about her husband's cheeky attitude
"And we are having her over for dinner." Fugaku insisted. His head was peaking into the kitchen. He didn't expect the soapy sponge that hit him square in the face. "Whatever you say, darling."
While Fugaku was trying to get the soap out of his eyes his sons had finally reached the academy. All the students were waiting outside until Iruka opened the doors to let them into the classroom. They distanced themselves a bit from the rest of the students and while Sasuke's gaze roamed over all of his classmates Itachi leant against a wall silently watching his brother. However he soon had to avert his attention from him when he heard his name being mentioned between girlish giggles. He saw a group of girls not too far away from where he and his brother were waiting, they were all looking at him and giggling except for a blond girl who would look at him then blush and look down. Sasuke had also noticed the girls. He glared at them for a few moments then grunted and turned his back to them.
"Are those the girls from yesterday?" he asked his brother who refused to look at them without glaring. "Hn." was Sasuke's short answer. "Ah." They lapsed into silence again. Itachi began tracing the long cut he had along his left forearm from the mission he had gone on the day before with his right hand as he began to ignore the girls.
"Sakura!" Itachi turned when his brother shouted. He instantly located Sakura thanks to her pink hair. She had joined the group of girls that had been watching him. She had been chatting with the two girls he had noticed before, and apparently had yet to locate them. Once her eyes settled on the brothers she smiled. Sasuke jerked his head for her to join them. She muttered something to the other girls and ran to them. Her arms wrapped around Sasuke. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" She greeted happily. She didn't let go of him until he wished her good morning as well. Once she pulled back she greeted Itachi as well and as she did he got an idea.
"What? Don't I get a hug?" he asked with a smirk looking back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura. She seemed surprised where as he had an angry look on his face. "I..." Sakura couldn't think of what to say. She walked up to him and gave him and awkward hug. Itachi gave Sasuke a smug grin over her shoulder which infuriated Sasuke. As she began to pull away after only a few seconds he snatched her arm and literally pulled her beside him and away from his brother. "Well, it seems like you have someone to keep you company while you wait little brother. I'll leave you two alone." He said making a few hand signs then disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sasuke kept glaring at the spot where his brother had just been standing; his grip still firm on her arm.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called. He took hold of her other arm as well but his grip on both arms was much lighter. The doors to the classroom had been opened and the other kids were making their way inside. "Don't hug him." He told her looking her straight in the eye sternly. "I don't like it." He continued. "Ok." She answered quietly. After a moment the air lightened between them and Sasuke smiled at her. "Come on." He said leading her into the classroom.
That day Sakura and the rest of the girl were excused from the classroom one hour before lunch to receive a special lecture. For the first time since Sasuke had joined the academy he was actually eager for the class to end. A few minutes before it was over the girls had finished whatever it was they had been made to do and were already outside enjoying their lunch. Sasuke felt a wave of anxiety suddenly wash over him for no apparent reason. So he began packing his books with time to spare and readied himself to jump out of his chair as soon as Iruka-sensei dismissed them.
As soon as the words left his sensei's mouth Sasuke was already out of his seat and through the door. He kept an eye out for Sakura but she was nowhere to be found; he rushed through the courtyard of the academy searching for her but she had apparently disappeared. He began to head towards a field where he knew the girls sometimes went for their lessons, his pace doubling. He heard voices in a slightly wooded area and followed them. He had found her.
A group of girls was surrounding her. A few others were keeping the other girl he knew to be Ino away so that she couldn't help Sakura. In front of Sakura in the centre of the circle stood the girl who he had seen yesterday and she was speaking.
"So, you and the Uchihas are good friends now?" she asked sneering. Sakura seemed much more hesitant than she had the previous day. "Leave me alone." She said feebly. The girls just laughed. Sakura began to scan the circle of girls, trying to find a weak spot. Her eyes fell on Sasuke. She looked surprised but uttered his name quietly. "Sasuke-kun." It shook him out of his shocked state.
"What are you doing?" he shouted. Some of the girls looked frightened but the one in front of Sakura just smiled. "She doesn't seem as tough as she did yesterday. Does she, Sasuke?" she asked. "Leave her alone." He snarled. Sakura was upset. They had hurt her. They would pay. "Why should I? She's weak." She continued. "Take it back!" Sasuke shouted he was livid and was making his way towards her. The girls who blocked his path were pushed aside without a second glance. The girl had finally begun to look scared but she just kept shouting. "The only reason she stood up for you in the first place was because she liked you!" Sasuke froze and so did Sakura. He had realized that Sakura liked him with a little help from his brother, but hearing it from someone, someone he had come to loath, and hearing it in such a spiteful tone hit him much harder., he felt almost winded.
"She's stronger than you'll ever be." Had he said that? Thank god a small part of his brain still retained its capacity to think. He took a few steps until he was right beside Sakura; he put one arm around her and began to guide her forward. Her head was bowed so that her hair hid her face although Sasuke knew that she was crying. He didn't like it. Once they had passed all the girls he turned to them and gave them one last menacing glare. They all flinched. "This isn't over." he let the threat linger in the air. "Sakura Haruno is under my protection. Anyone who hurts her will pay, dearly." He noticed that two girls were still holding Ino down. "And let Yamanaka go." The girls immediately let go of Ino as if she had burned them. She gave him a grateful look and stared curiously at him as he continued leading Sakura away.
After a few minutes of walking, once he was sure that the girls were out of hearing range he stopped. Sakura immediately tried to pull away from him. He tried to keep her still but she just struggled some more. "No, Sakura wait!" he shouted. She stood completely still and absolutely refused to look at him. He sighed and let her sit down on the grass. He stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets and watched her. Although he had never been good at being patient he tried his best for her as he let her dry her face with the palms of her hands. "You shouldn't feel bad Sakura." He said hoping to get her to look at him. But she didn't and he sighed once again before continuing. "I already knew." She finally looked up at him, disbelief etched onto her face. "But I don't mind." He continued. "Because I like you too." He said smiling. When she didn't answer he, once again, poked her forehead lightly to get her to speak to him. She giggled lightly and Sasuke finally felt like he could breathe freely again. He sat down beside her and began to open the two bags of food he had with him.
"Where's your lunch?" he asked her when he noticed that she had brought nothing with her. "Those girls wrecked it." She said bitterly. "Oh." He said looking at his own lunch. He grabbed one of the rice balls and held it out to her. She looked uncertainly at it first but when she looked at his face, even though he wasn't smiling his expression was still reassuring and she finally accepted.
As they ate their onigiri they started talking. Sasuke told her about all the training he did with his brother so that he could surpass him one day to get his father to acknowledge him and Sakura admitted her lack of skill with weapons and taijutsu since he was an only child and her parents weren't ninjas. "I can teach you!" Sasuke offered handing her a Senbei without even thinking. "Really?" she asked. He nodded. They took a break from talking as they both munched on their after lunch snack. Suddenly Sakura jumped. "Sasuke-kun, class started over an hour ago!" she told him pulling on the sleeve of his shirt to make sure he listened to her. His eyes widened as he realized that he had missed a class, an opportunity to catch up to his brother. But when he started to think about how nice it had been to have Sakura listen to him, give him her undivided attention and act like whatever he was saying was the most important thing in the world he really couldn't care less. He was about to answer when a strong gust of wind picked up. Their clothes flapped around them and some of the blossoms on the trees were ripped off and sent spiralling away.
"I think we should go home Sakura." He told her. "It looks like there's a big storm headed this way. We might be forced to stay at the academy later if we don't leave now." Sakura was hesitant; she was worried about what Iruka-sensei would say to them if they skipped the rest of the day. But when she felt the wind pick up again and saw a large tree branch crack and fall right at her feet she made up her mind. "Let's go." She said. They decided to take a path that would keep them a safe distance from the academy so that Iruka-sensei wouldn't see them and force them inside. Just as they were walking through the eerily abandoned marketplace the first raindrops fell. They were big and fat; one fell directly on Sakura's nose and she jerked her head and went cross eyed as she tried to follow its path down the bridge of her nose. After the first few dropped it almost seemed as if time had stopped. They stood still in the middle of the usually cheerful marketplace listening carefully for a sound they couldn't identify. Suddenly they heard the low rumble of thunder and the sound of the rain hitting the streets reached their ears, steadily growing louder. In a minute they were already soaked through. They continued running through the streets and soon they had reached the spot where they had separated the other day.
They said nothing, just separated. Sakura stopped and watched Sasuke run along one of the streets. He didn't seem to be in all that much of a hurry. His hair was drooping down at the back of his head yet it somehow managed to maintain certain spikiness that she had associated with Sasuke. She began to run after him and when she had almost caught up to him he stopped and turned around. He had probably heard the splashes as she ran through the puddles to reach him. In less than a second she had her arms firmly around his chest and she was pressing her face into his shoulder. Sasuke tensed incredibly, his hands were inches from her but he couldn't bring himself to touch her. "Sakura?" he didn't really know what he was asking her, but felt the need to at least say her name. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She said quietly, he almost couldn't hear her over the sound of the rain falling. He should have known that she would be able to give him the one answer he didn't know he was looking for. He finally managed to move his hands and place them on her back and she hugged him harder, it gave him enough confidence to pull her closer to him. After a while they both remembered the rain that was falling on them. They pulled apart and Sakura smiled at him. They said their goodbyes and she began walking back towards her house. Sasuke held on to her wrist before she could leave.
"Sakura," he said. She turned to look at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. "You're Welcome." He said gently. She smiled and they both finally felt like they could go their separate ways.
AN:/ Yo, guys. Sorry I'm late. I've spent the last three days writing this chapter nonstop with the help of Itachi, Sakura and Sasuke-sensei , and now that it's finally finished and I'm finally posting it on it's telling me that the server is having trouble uploading the file! Dammit!
Anyway... this is a pretty long one. It's dedicated to all of you who either reviewed or added it to one of your favourites or alerts, thanks so much!