Author's Note: Hel-lo, my lovely readers! Now, I know that you must be upset because of the late update, but please calm down! *backs away slowly*
I am ashamed to say that I passed my deadline yet again, because I told all my dear reviewers that I would update by Saturday or Sunday, but it's really, really early on a Wednesday right now. I was hit with another (more severe) case of writer's block. Also, as previously mentioned, I neglected to plan out my story and am currently suffering from my brainless actions as I try to sort out how to fill the numerous plot holes in VINTA. T_T
On a happier note: WHOOOOO! YAY! I have 25 reviews! I LOVE YOU ALL! In an un-creepy, platonic way! I'm so happy that chapter 3 was so well-liked that I got almost four times that number of reviews for that chapter than I did for chapters 1 and 2 combined! Tee hee.
Thanks to PhoenixCAJ for reviewing, Love for reviewing, adding me to your author alerts list, adding me to your favourite authors list, and adding this to your favourite stories list, TDGluver for adding this to your story alerts list and adding this to your favourite stories list, Hika-BOOO the Awesome for adding this to your favourite stories list and for ever-so-faithfully reviewing, Wolfs-howlofdeath for adding this to your story alerts list, Piper-Knight for adding this to your favourite stories list and reviewing, stringless-marionette for adding this to your favourite stories list, andemoon for adding this to your favourite stories list, NadeshikoEverdeenHimeSama for adding me to your favourite authors list, reviewing, adding this to your story alerts list, adding me to your author alerts list and adding this to your favourite stories list, angel897 for reviewing and adding this to your story alerts list, Black-Alice-Stars for reviewing, Saiyuri Haruno for adding this to your favourite stories list and adding this to your story alerts list, Angel Of Darkness808 for adding this to your story alerts list, AJlovesKakashi for reviewing, adding this to your story alerts list and adding this to your favourite stories list, harunosakua for reviewing, adding this to your favourite stories list, NotsoAnonymous (hahaha…) for reviewing, Himeko Koneko for reviewing, Hinata of the Red Spring for adding this to your story alerts list and adding this to your favourite stories list, fudgecake115 for reviewing, Junior-Einstein for adding this to your favourite stories list and adding this to your story alerts list, iluvsya2much for adding this to your story alerts list, 00Sakura00 for reviewing, adding this to your story alerts list, adding this to your favourite stories list and adding me to your favourite authors list, Akatsukifan1 for adding this to your story alerts list, xxxSakuraXionHinamorixxx for reviewing, adding this to your favourite stories list, adding this to your story alerts list, adding me to your favourite authors list and adding me to your author alerts list, Bleh-fics-here for adding this to your story alerts list, Wikedlovely for adding this to your story alerts list, adding this to your favourite stories list, and reviewing, Esserie for adding this to your favourite stories list, swordmistress2069 for adding this to your story alerts list and for reviewing, Little-Retard for adding this to your story alerts list and adding this to your favourite stories list, and last but not least kukumalu01 for reviewing and being nice enough to read my story even though you don't know Naruto that well, for friendship's sake (I bow down to your awesomeness) .
Phew! My fingers are aching from typing it out, but I'm ridiculously happy because there are so many things to type out! Haha. If you get what I mean… Sorry for any typos! Also! Thanks to all my anonymous reviewers out there!
Please review! I really wanna hear your thoughts on my story! Yes, that means YOU! (However, please keep to child-friendly, generally happy language. I don't have any marshmallows to roast and hence have no need for flames. Thank you. ;) )
ON WITH THE STORY!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Naruto's orange jumpsuit would never see the light of day, Kakashi would be given more screen time (he deserves it!), Sakura wouldn't be an annoying fan girl at the beginning of the anime, we would see many scenes of life in the Akatsuki hideout and the male characters would be parading around shirtless hell of a lot more often! ;D
"talking"
'thinking'
'Inner Sakura'
(Translation from Japanese to English)
Violence Is Not The Answer
Chapter Four
"Ne, ne, Kaka-sensei! What's the new girl like? Is she huge? Muscular? Scary? A MAMMOTH?" Naruto yelled dramatically.
"Ano… why don't you see for yourself?" Kakashi suggested. "Sakura, you can come in now."
Sakura hesitantly stepped into class.
The whole class took in her delicate features, big, innocent eyes, petite figure and neat uniform, and the same thought ran through all of their heads:
'There must be two new students coming in today.'
Sakura squirmed uncomfortably under her classmates' intense and incredulous stares. Somehow, she got the feeling that she had failed to live up to an expectation, which was ridiculous, since her classmates couldn't have known anything about her, let alone be able to form any expectations of what she was like… right?
Luckily for her, before she could shrivel up and die under the intensity of her classmates' stares, Kakashi decided to help her out, by asking, "Well, Sakura, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, then answer any questions that your classmates might have?"
Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, saying, "Uh, sure, Kakashi-sa – iie (no), Kakashi-sensei." Addressing the class, she began, "Watashi wa Haruno Sakura desu. Yoroshiku! (I'm Haruno Sakura. Please guide me / Please take care of me!)" Having said that, she bowed, straightening to stare at her classmates expectantly, waiting for someone to ask her a question.
A blonde-haired boy shouted from the back of the class, "Which school were you from, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura smiled and replied, "Oto High."
Whispers broke out amongst the students. Sakura caught some snatches of conversation.
"So, she really is – "
"Beat up the whole student council –"
"No way! Look at her –"
"Expelled from –"
"– looks fragile –"
She sweat dropped. Apparently, she had been wrong. It seemed that the whole class was aware of the unfortunate circumstances under which the new student came to this school, though they seemed to have some slight problems in actually believing them. 'Oh well,' Sakura inwardly shrugged, 'Even if they actually believed the rumors, I doubt it would cause too much problems.'
Finally, a brown-haired boy with two red triangles tattooed onto his cheeks seemed to pluck up enough courage to ask the question that was in everyone's mind, "So, is it true that you were expelled for beating up the dictators that Oto calls their student council?"
"Eto… (Err…)" Sakura scratched her cheek, looking to the side in slight embarrassment. She had hoped that no one had heard about what she had done – her classmates probably thought of her as horribly violent! Shaking those thoughts away, she focused of answering the boy's question. "Hai! (Yes!)" Sakura piped cheerfully, causing many people to sweat drop. She acted like she was simply admitting that she was addicted to chocolate, instead of confirming that she had beat up eight people single-handedly, most of whom had been older and much larger than her. Some students gasped in disbelief.
"Is your hair color natural?" A girl abruptly asked.
Sakura's eyes shifted to land on said girl. She had long platinum blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, with one long bang covering her right eye. She also had perfectly proportionate facial features, a killer figure (from what Sakura could see) and was admittedly, very pretty. Her turquoise eyes scrutinized Sakura, almost as if she were evaluating her in her head.
Sakura laughed lightly, unsurprised, since she had been asked that question hundreds of times. "Yes, it is," She confirmed, eyes twinkling merrily. She flashed a dazzling smile that evoked an intake of breath from the male population of the class.
"Okay, that's enough questions," Kakashi intervened, having seen the looks on some of his male student's faces. He cursed – why must Sakura be so damn cute? The way things were going, he wouldn't be surprised if she gathered a secret fan club. At least, he comforted himself, Sakura could take care of herself. Looking at the girl, one could not guess that she had it in her to hurt a fly, let alone the whole student council of her old school. He had been more than surprised at the question that Kiba had asked, and Sakura's reply.
"Well then, Sakura, please take a seat over there," Kakashi said, pointing at the only empty seat in the classroom. To his immense displeasure, it was situated in the row that was the furthest from the teacher's desk, and was surrounded on three sides by males – the fourth side being the wall, which was situated a ways behind the empty seat.
As Sakura made her way to her seat, weaving through the desks that were evenly spaced from each other, she observed the students who would be seated closest to her. Seated in the desk that was situated between her own desk and a window on the wall directly opposite from the door, on the extreme left of the classroom, was a boy who slouched in his seat with his arms crossed.
His hair was blood red, short, and fairly spiky, while his eyes were jade green and rimmed with very dark, practically black circles. These circles, at first glance, looked like eyeliner, but upon closer inspection, Sakura realized that they were actually dark rings similar to those one would get from lack of sleep, albeit very severe ones, almost as if he had suffered from insomnia for a very, very long time.
The redhead was wearing the male version of the school uniform: a white long sleeved button up shirt, long maroon pants, a red tie, and black shoes, though he wore it in a very untidy fashion. The sleeves of his shirt were pushed up to his elbows, his shirt untucked with most of the buttons undone, revealing the black singlet he wore underneath, and his tie hung loosely around his neck, messily knotted.
Sakura received the impression that he was either someone who did not care how he looked, someone who had just gotten into a fight, or both.
Sakura scrutinized his face once more. His features were flawless and his expression, or lack thereof, seemed to give off a dangerous vibe, but that was not what had triggered the vague feeling in Sakura's mind that there was something off about his face. Searching for the cause, Sakura had to fight to keep the amusement off her face when the answer dawned on her.
He had no eyebrows.
Laughing insanely in the privacy of her own mind, she allowed her eyes to drift to the person seated in front of her new seat.
Keen brown eyes pierced through her, seeming to analyze her every move. Sakura, still making her way through the sea of desks towards the back of the classroom, felt her steps falter slightly. However, she resisted the urge to avert her gaze, determined not to show weakness of any sort.
She was slightly surprised when the owner of the brown eyes was the one to avert his gaze, the formerly intense look in his eyes dissolving into a bored, almost lazy one, tilting his head so that it was once more cushioned by his arms on the desk he was slumped over. She could have sworn she heard him mutter, "Troublesome."
She took advantage of his lack of attention (or interest) and took in his jet black hair, pulled back into a queer ponytail that sort of resembled a pineapple, handsome, almost rugged features, emphasized by the single stud earring he wore in his right ear, as well as his rumpled uniform.
Like the redheaded boy who sat in the desk diagonally behind him, he wore the white button up shirt, maroon pants, black shoes and red tie of their school's uniform. Unlike the redhead, however, the sleeves of his shirt, rather than being pushed up, were rolled up to his elbows, his tie slightly looser and more neatly knotted, and he chose to wear the sleeveless, v-necked, gray pullover vest that was optional in both the male and female school uniform.
By the time Sakura was finished with her mental observation of her two classmates, she had already reached her seat.
As she sat down gracefully and absently started to pull out her pencil case and other necessary stationery out of her backpack, she turned her eyes towards the desk that was to her immediate right, taking in its occupant.
He turned out to be the blonde boy who had asked her which school she had previously attended. His blonde hair was shorter and spikier than the redhead's, and did not fall into his eyes. He was fairly tan, a shade or two darker than the black haired boy, and much more tan than the redhead – who, she noted, had a pale, almost sickly complexion. She also noted with slight surprise that the blonde had three lines running across each cheek, greatly resembling whiskers.
His clear, cerulean blue eyes shone with excitement and happiness, and Sakura realized with a start that that excitement and happiness had to be directed at her, seeing as to the fact that it was she that the blonde was currently grinning wildly at, flashing his set of straight, perfectly white teeth.
Inner Sakura chose to wake up just as Sakura mustered up a small smile in reply.
'Oh, my Lord. I must have died and gone to heaven. I'M FUCKING SURROUNDED BY HOT GUYS!'
Okay! You can ask me for any translations for Japanese terms I might have left out! I really disliked this chapter, I must have reread it at least six times, trying to figure out how to continue writing it, so on and so forth. I got stuck multiple times, and I noticed that I used overly long sentences in every paragraph. GRAH! I wanted to stop, but I didn't know how to change it. Suggestions, please?
Do you think that the english I used in the narration is too formal-y? It annoys me, but I always write like that -_-
Also, there was too little dialogue and not much Inner Sakura! Maybe that's why I overused the long sentences? I'll try to add more dialogue next chapter so that it won't be so boring!
I will learn from past mistakes and not set a deadline for myself, so that I can't pass it! I can only promise you, my dear readers, that I will update ASAP! Reviews help... hint, hint.
Peace out! (I love saying that, doesn't it sound awesomely cool? Lol.)
Amanda
