A/N: Thank for the reviews so far. I'm glad that you're all enjoying it as much as I am writing it.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 4
Ten Ten was not a morning person. The sun had barely made it over Hokage Hill and her phone was already ringing off the hook. Ino… I swear…, she thought as she reached for her cell phone. "Yes Ino I'm up," Ten Ten said groggily.
"I'll be right over! So you better be ready by the time I get there," screamed the blonde on the other line.
"Why don't you pick up Hinata first? I live the farthest away anyway. I could have slept for another 15 minutes you know," Ten Ten said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"But you take forever to get out of bed, Ten Ten. Now, WAKE UP already," Ino shouted before she hung up the phone.
Geez, the mall doesn't even open for another couple hours. I don't see why she insists on waking up so early, thought Ten Ten as she stretched and got out of her bed.
Ugh, where's that damn snooze button, Captain Uchiha thought as he blindly searched for his alarm clock. He cracked one eye open and when it finally came into focus it read 6:30am. "I need a vacation," he said to himself as he pulled the blanket back over his head. Ten more minutes, he told himself as he slammed the snooze button down and tried to go back to sleep.
The alarm clock went off 10 minutes later, and Captain Uchiha chose to ignore it again. "Yo Sasuke! Wake the fuck up or I'm gonna have to come in and break that alarm clock," said a voice from the other side of his wall.
Itachi just had to pick the right time to get his house renovated, Sasuke thought before he finally turned off his alarm clock. With a yawn, he swung his feet out of bed and sat up. "I should have just paid for a hotel room for a month for him," groaned Sasuke. Hell he can afford it, why should I even offer to pay for his accommodations?
As the hot water washed over his body, Sasuke's thoughts wandered to last night's events. Running into Sakura Haruno was unexpected, and he hated being caught by surprise. He liked to be the person that was one step ahead; being the captain of the Konoha police force has taught him that. But this particular surprise he didn't mind. "Sakura Haruno, you've definitely grown up haven't you?" Sasuke said to himself and smirked. Down, boy, he chided himself as he looked down only to catch himself getting aroused at the thought of Sakura. He reached for the cold water valve and turned it up. Can't be going into the station thinking these thoughts. Sasuke stood in the now cold shower with his hands up against the wall in front of him. Today is going to be a long day…
Sakura stirred in her bed as the sunlight lit up her room. Mmm.. . I smell coffee, she thought. Lifting a tired eyelid then followed by the other, Sakura observed her surroundings. As her eyes wandered, they stopped on her cell phone that was sitting on the night stand. It's only 7:00. I thought I could get at least another couple hours. Poor Sakura's sleep patterns have been so scattered about since she started at the hospital 2 years ago. A few hours here and there throughout the day, but never more than 6 hours in a single sleep session. "I guess I'm up," she muttered as she got out of bed.
Sakura rummaged through her luggage to find something to wear. Still in last night's attire, she looked for something for comfortable. She pulled out a pair of jeans and an Ed Hardy t-shirt. Comfy. Smiling, she gave herself a quick look in the mirror, puckered her lips, and went out of her room heading for the kitchen.
"Ohayoo okaa-san," said Sakura to her mother as she was reached for a coffee mug.
"Ohayoo, Sakura-chan! Welcome home!!" Mrs. Haruno said as she embraced Sakura lovingly. "I tried to stay awake last night but you know me. It really is nice to see you Sakura-chan. Hey, are you losing weight? I bet you're not eating enough there. Come, let me fix you some breakfast," she said poking at Sakura's stomach.
"Okaaaa-san," Sakura whined. "I am eating and doing just fine."
"Instant ramen isn't a meal, Sakura-chan," Mrs. Haruno teased.
"Blasphemy! If Naruto-kun can survive off ramen, why can't I?" Sakura laughed and her mother joined in too. "Speaking of Naruto-kun, did you tell him that I was coming home? I kinda wanted to keep it a surprise and visit him at the police station later on," Sakura said.
"Oops, I didn't know. I already told him you were coming home," Sai said as he entered the kitchen.
"Damn Sai, you're such an ass! I told you before I came home not to tell anyone," Sakura said as he playfully slapped her brother on the arm.
"Ouch! Geez, I told him you were coming home… but I didn't tell him when. You're no fun Sakura-chan," Sai said as he rubbed his arm. "You're some kind of friend making Naruto-kun come visit you all the time and you never came home once since you graduated high school. He's been bugging me every single day since I told him that you were coming back."
Feeling a little guilty, Sakura put her head down. "I'm sorry. It's just that I got so caught up in school, then the whole modeling thing, then work… He's not mad at me is he?"
"Mad? Are you kidding? He brags about you ALL the time. He's always like, 'Sakura-chan is my best friend and I've known her since we were in diapers!' Of course no one believes him. In fact, I even heard this rumor that Sakura Haruno – the model, stole your name and dyed her hair pink just like yours when she got popular. I mean think about it sis, you were the ugly duckling all your life until you left Konoha. No offense, of course, so don't punch me!" Sai argued as he braced himself for one of Sakura's killer punches.
"Now now kids, our Sakura-chan was always beautiful. It's just that she took her time coming out of her shell. Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?" Mrs. Haruno said.
"Stolen identity? Ha! Ugly duckling? Ha! I'm all brains still, the beauty is just something extra," laughed Sakura nervously. "Who started that dumb rumor anyway? This town has nothing better to do than to talk a bunch of shit. Would it have been more politically correct if I went off to become a doctor and came back home ugly? I bet that's what everyone was expecting huh?"
Putting his arm around her, Sai tried to comfort a mildly upset Sakura. "Sakura-chan, mom is right. You were always beautiful. It just took the town 10 years to finally realize that. We love you, ugly or not."
"I'm fine Sai-kun. Thank you. It's just frustrating that you think that you can change for the better, and upon returning home, nothing else has changed," Sakura sighed into her brother's shoulder.
"I'm taking you out with me tonight. We can show the town that Sakura Haruno – the model/doctor/ugly duckling is indeed my sister, and rub it in their faces," Sai softly said to his beloved sister.
"Before you go off conquering the town, why don't you 2 kids have some breakfast first," said Mrs. Haruno holding up a plate of bacon and eggs.
We'll show 'em alright. With that thought, Sakura took the plate from her mother's hands and set it on the kitchen table. We'll definitely show 'em.
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