Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the songs used.
Author's Note: GAH! Omigod! Chapter 6 already… Okay. This is just to say that I am really scared of spending another five chapters on one day… so I fastforwarded it two months. :D It will really help the plot! I promise! Oh, and a warning! There are going to be full-blown songs in here, so don't kill me if it's getting like really long! The lyrics are important! :D Anyways, onward with Chapter 6!
-xxx-
Chapter 6
iThink I Hate You!
-xxx-
Sun shone through the dorm windows of room 401 where three girls lay fast asleep. Time had flown by, already two months passing after the first day of college. The three of them had fallen into a sort of groove. A clock on a nightstand read large, red numbers: 6:59 A.M. It ticked another minute. 7:00 A.M. The alarm clock came alive, dancing on the nightstand and spewing out loud buzzing. Ino woke up, blonde hair tousled from sleep, and rubbed her eyes. She stared at the clock before giving it a good slam on the head. "Stupid alarm clock," she muttered, jumping out of bed to look at a calendar. It was a Wednesday. And Wednesday meant classes in the morning for her. She grumbled before walking across the room to a bed with a pink-haired girl sprawled across the bed sheets.
Ino tapped the girl's forehead with a manicured fingernail. "Yo, Forehead, wakey-wakey!"
The rosette stirred. "Wazzit?" she muttered sleepily before blinking a couple of times. That was when her iPod, sitting on another nearby nightstand, began spewing up wake-up music.
Wake up! Wake up!
On a Saturday night!
Could be New York, maybe Hollywood and Vine!
Sakura took up her iPod, pressing the dismiss button on the alarm clock app before sitting up in her bed and stretching her back muscles out. Then, she looked across the room to where a red-haired girl was heavily sleeping through all of the noisy buzzing and music. "Karin! Karin! Wake up!" Sakura called to her.
The redhead kept snoring.
Sakura sighed before kicking out the bed sheets and walking over to her frightening sort-of enemy. The rosette shook the girl's shoulder, hoping to coax her out of sleep. Instead, the sleeping redhead pushed her away in her sleep, muttering about how not a single person could get their beauty sleep these days.
Without a solution, Sakura looked helplessly toward her blonde friend.
Who had a very evil grin on her face.
Sakura took a few steps back. She knew that face when she saw it. "Ino?"
The blond didn't answer. Instead, Ino walked over to the redhead who was still snoring away, leaning in toward the sleeping girl's ear. Faintly, Sakura could hear her friend whispering, "Wake up, Karin," in a surprisingly convincing male voice, "I want you…"
The redhead instantly bolted out of bed. "Sasuke-kun?" she cried, looking frantically left and right for the said raven-haired man. Instead, all she could find was a laughing blond holding her stomach while she laughed at her roommate's misfortunate mistake.
Ino pointed at Karin, still holding her shaking stomach. "You fail, man!" The blond continued to laugh, unable to form any more sentences.
Karin scowled at her roommate, reaching for her glasses on another nightstand. "You bitch!" she cried, tossing a pillow at Ino. It hit her right in the face.
Sakura could see a small bitch fight coming on. "Uh, you guys, I don't think we should—"
"Shush, Forehead!" Ino shouted at her, rubbing at her face where the pillow had made its mark. "This is between me and Four-Eyes." She held a steady glare that was directed at the redhead that dared to toss a large pillow at her.
"Yeah, cram it, Pinky!" Karin snarled at the rosette before returning her attention to the blond that had rudely awakened her. They glared daggers into each others' skulls. Sakura stood there, feeling the tension and estrogen spike in the air.
Then, Ino, flipping her always perfect blond hair over her shoulder, shrugged before turning her back on the redhead, walking back to her bed.
"Hey, Blondy, I'm not—"
"Shut your trap, Four-Eyes," Ino snapped, turning her head around to glare some more at the redhead. "I don't have time to deal with you this morning!" The blond turned back toward her bed, folding the blankets and rearranging the pillows before grabbing a few clothes and slipping into the bathroom. The redhead and the rosette could hear the shower water running.
Sakura sighed, walking over to her closet to pick out some decent clothes for the day. Looking through shirt after shirt, the rosette's mind wandered back to the recent month that had passed. The first day of college had been absolutely rotten: complete with homicidal fangirls, crazy professors, and towers of books that could break your arms. Delicious. Oh, and did she mention that she had re-met the love of her life who was now using her to chase away those homicidal fangirls she was talking about? The rosette sighed. 'What a crappy first day…' But, it had gotten better. Slightly. Ever since she started "going out" with Sasuke, the fangirls kept their distance. Even though they were still sending her death glares every once in a while. But, the most part was that she was safe from their murderous attempts. The only problem was…
'If any of them found out, I'd be schnitzel…'
That was the key thing that she had to do: make sure that the fangirls don't find out that she was just faking. Which was sort of easy if you thought about it. But… the only thing that Sakura wished that could change was the using her part. Her heart squeezed when she thought of it. All this time, four long years she hadn't seen him… and now he chose to show up in her life when she thought she was over him. Not only that, but now he actually had the audacity to use her. What a fucking bastard.
"Hey, Pinky, what classes you got this morning?"
Karin's voice broke into Sakura's stream of consciousness. "Huh?"
The redhead rolled her eyes. Sakura hadn't noticed that Karin was already out of bed and currently drinking a cup of coffee. Her glasses were slightly askew and her hair wasn't yet combed, but that didn't seem to bother the girl. "I said what classes do you have this morning?"
The rosette let out a sigh. "Oh. Um…" she mentally went through her morning schedule. "Well, I have biochem and psychology the first two periods. Then later on I just have my GED classes." Sakura gave the redhead a weak smile.
That's what was sort of going on. After the first (frightening) day of college and her scarring experience with Karin, Sakura was trying to make amends and soften up the redhead's behavior toward her and eliminate any animosity that they were holding for each other. So far, all two months had gotten them was a sort of awkward relationship where all they said to each other was a "Hi", "Bye", or just ignored each other. And Sakura could feel that this whole thing was because of her relationship with Sasuke. I mean, Karin tolerated her and all… but Sakura could feel that Karin was still a little bitter that she, a small rosette, had "gotten the guy"… and that Karin was currently trying to get over him. Just a guess…
The only thing that Sakura really wanted was to be able to actually have a decent friendship with Karin. A relationship where they actually understood the other person's feelings and… talked.
The redhead adjusted her glasses and took a sip from her cup of coffee. "Oh." She looked away, toying with the edge of her coffee cup before turning back to the rosette that stood with her. "Uh, hey, Pinky?"
Sakura turned her head toward the redhead. "Yeah?"
Karin fidgeted with her coffee cup handle. "Um… could we… start over or something, Pinky? I mean… I know that the first day kinda got out of hand and all… and I really want to… to…"
"I get it, Karin," the rosette replied patiently, a small smile growing on her face. "I would really like that." She walked over to the taller girl and stuck out her hand. The pink-haired girl put on a genuine smile. "Hi. I'm Sakura."
For a moment or two, Karin stared at the outstretched hand. Then, slowly but surely, the redhead reached out and grasped the other girl's hand, an almost shy smile on her face. "Thanks. I'm Karin. Nice to meet you."
Sakura grinned before letting go of Karin's hand. "Okay then." She raced for something else to say. "Um, if you want, we could hang out or something after I'm done with all my classes. Maybe tomorrow or something? A little sleepover party?" She held her breath, waiting for the other girl's answer.
Karin adjusted her glasses before looking down at her nails. "Well, I do have a few things that I might have to move around…" A pause hung in the air while Karin took another sip of her coffee. Then, the redhead met her gaze with the rosette's, giving her a small smile. "Okay. Maybe a day or two from now." She started toward her bed, picking up the thrown pillow. Karin turned back toward Sakura, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have some morning classes to get to?"
The rosette facepalmed herself. "Oh, shit!" Grabbing random clothes out of the closet, Sakura quickly pulled off her pajamas and frantically pulled on whatever she had in hand.
Done changing into her chosen clothes, Sakura glanced at herself in the mirror, tugging on her sweater and eyeing her dark blue jeans before tying up her hair and grabbing her shoes, knapsack, and (most importantly) her iPod. She walked towards the door and—looking behind her one last time to glance at the girl with glasses—closed the door behind her to head to her first class of the day.
-xxx-
"What's this picture?"
First period for the Konoha university students were already over. Everyone was already making their little journeys to their second class of the day.
A certain raven-haired man was holding an iPod with dangling pink headphones, looking through the pictures of the small, square-ish piece of technology. A pink-haired girl stood next to him, eyeing over his broad shoulder to see what exactly the young man was looking at.
Framed in the iPod's screen was a picture of a young pink-haired girl and a raven-haired boy dressed in summer clothing. Behind them was a blond boy who was draping both of his arms over his friends' shoulders, bringing the two of them closer together. The pink-haired girl had a small rosy blush painting her cheeks, her face close to the raven-haired boy's emotionless face. His hair was spiked rebelliously.
The rosette laughed. "Oh, that picture! That's a picture of when we went to the beach together." She smiled. "I think that was the first time that we actually spent time together as friends."
Sakura grabbed for a dangling ear-bud, listening to whatever song that was currently playing.
You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed,
Sing like a bird, dizzy in my head,
Spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night
Sakura giggled as she heard her favorite song through one of the pink headphones she held to her ear.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked monotonously, turning his head over to the rosette that walked beside him. They were already done with their first period stuff and were currently making a long trek across campus to psychology class.
The pink-haired girl smiled at him sheepishly. "Er, I was just laughing about this one song…"
"Oh? And what's it called?" the raven-haired man inquired.
The rosette looked up to him from where she walked by his side. "Smile by Uncle Kracker." She smiled, thinking of a memory that was about twelve to thirteen years ago. "It's a really adorable song… reminds me of way back when I really liked this one guy…"
"Hn..." Sasuke grunted, picking an ear bud and placing it in his ear. He listened as he heard the second part of the chorus.
You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breath,
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee,
Just the thought of you can drive me wild,
Oh, you make me smile!
Having heard enough, the raven-haired man let go of the pink headphones, letting them dangle once more. "Hn. Who's the guy?" He turned his head to look at her, curiosity glinting in his onyx orbs.
Sasuke watched the petite rosette's face turn a deep pink, her cheeks flowing with color. "Um… it relates to this picture…" She took the iPod from him, running her finger along the touch pad until she finally found the picture that the raven-haired man was looking at before.
Sasuke scowled at it. "What do you mean—" Then, it hit him. The force of revelation struck him with such intensity that he nearly staggered backwards, a memory hitting him.
(Flashback)
"Sasuke-kun!" screamed about twenty fangirls. It was a hot, sunny day at the beach and the class was on a field trip, enjoying themselves. A raven-haired boy of about eleven years of age dashed across the sandy surface of the beach, sprinting away from his obsessive fangirls. He ran toward an empty-looking cave, climbing the rocks and hiding within the cavernous walls. The fangirls dashed past the cave unknowingly.
After confirming that the scary girls were gone, the raven-haired boy let out a breath of relief, turning to walk away… before he spied a familiar head of pink hair in the depths of the cavern. He approached it, careful not to make a sound as to disturb her.
Instead of finding a crying girl that he had been so used to, he found Sakura, dancing in the middle of a small, rocky mini-island. She had her eyes closed and her lips moved, forming words that soared through the air and echoed off the cave walls to Sasuke's ears.
You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed,
Sing like a bird, dizzy in my head,
Spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night,
You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe,
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee,
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
The pinkette paused for a breath before breathing out the last phrase.
Oh, you make me smile…
She painted the last phrase of her small song with an illustration, a small grin painting her rosy lips. She gave herself a small giggle before pirouetting around in small circles, unaware of the raven-haired boy's presence.
Sasuke stared at her, fascinated by the rosette's carefree radiance and happy song. 'I wonder who she was talking about…' the boy thought, slowly coming out of the shadows to approach the small rocky island that spanned only a few feet wide."Sakura?" he called out to her. He jumped over rocks to head over to her.
The rosette, startled by the boy's unknown presence, took a few steps back. Unknowingly, the girl lost her footing and fell… right into the unseemingly deep waters that surround the mini, rocky island she stood on. Sakura flailed around, desperately trying to stay afloat.
"Somebody! Help!" Sakura cried out. She didn't know how to swim. And quickly, the water was engulfing her as quickly as she flailed around. 'No one's here… no one's around… no one can hear me!' she thought, her mouth going under water. 'I'm going to die…'
That was when a dark-haired blur jumped into the water, sending waves splashing all over the rocky cave walls. It swam toward Sakura at an alarming speed. The young rosette was petrified in fear. What was it? A shark? Anything with extremely sharp teeth that could tear her to shreds?
No. It was a certain raven-haired boy that she was thinking about, singing about until she had heard a sudden voice and lost her footing on the slippery rocks. His face was flushed with adrenaline and his once spiky hair laid flat against his head due to the salty waters of the ocean that made its way into the cave. Quickly Sasuke took the girl's arm and wrapped it around his neck, starting to swim in the direction toward the mini island.
"Sa…Sasuke…kun?" Sakura whispered, too weak from the exhaustion that came from flailing in the waters. She shuddered from her near death experience.
The raven-haired boy laid her on the rocks gently, making sure that she was comfortable. Sakura didn't show any signs of water inhalation… or looked extremely faint. She just looked tired. Her shoulder-length pink hair lay splayed across the wet rocks, her face caked with the brine of the water and her clothes soaking wet. 'This all happened…because of me,' thought young Sasuke as he continued to look for signs of trauma. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
That was when she started to tremble violently. Sakura shook her head, tears trailing down her face and soaking her cheeks with more salty liquid. The rosette sat up in her place upon the rocks to place her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook from the force of her wracking sobs. She turned her head to look at the young boy who had saved her life just moments ago.
Sasuke tried to look at those eyes, those gleaming, tear-filled emerald orbs, without looking away. Her face was full of fear, soaking with salty water and trails of salty tears.
The rosette tried to calm herself. In between sobs, she stuttered out, "Th-Thank… y-you, S-Sa-suke-kun…" Needing some comfort, Sakura looked up at Sasuke once more, emerald eyes filled with the only salty water that could make Sasuke's insides clench. They pleaded for help, for comfort. For… him.
Awkwardly, the boy opened his arms to her, letting her tackle him to the slippery rocks on the mini island. Sasuke held her, not stroking her hair, not telling her everything would be okay, not comforting her at all. He just held her and said, "I'm here… I'm here."
It took a while, but Sakura's sobs died down eventually. She untangled herself from Sasuke's hold, putting herself a foot apart from him, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "Ah… thank you, Sasuke-kun…"
"Aa…" the raven-haired boy breathed out before replying with a, "Don't mention it."
Silence enfolded the both of them, the two of them still sitting there, wondering what the hell had just happened. Sakura was singing… dancing… about who? And where the hell did Sasuke come from? Why the fuck was he here? Questions lay thick in the air. The tension from the questions became so great that the two of them burst out simultaneously asking:
"What are you doing here?"
"Who were you singing about?"
The two of them stared at each other, thinking of the other's sudden outburst. Sakura spoke first. "What?"
The raven-haired boy, giving her a serious look, answered with his previous question. "Who were you singing about?"
The rosette, once staring at him for a few moments in confusion, immediately straightened up, a blush forming on her wet cheeks. She put her face in her hands. "Omigod…" she breathed out, her emerald eyes widening in shock. He had heard her singing… singing about him. Slowly, she brought her face out of her hands, looking up to meet Sasuke's emotionless gaze. Intimidated by the intensity of his onyx orbs, she looked back down at her hands. "Ah…that song is a favorite of mine. I was just singing it about this one boy. No one important." Sakura stole a glance at the raven-haired boy who still hadn't stirred from his seat. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Sasuke returned her gaze, onyx clashing with emerald. He averted his gaze, looking toward the now calm waters of the cave. "I was trying to get away from my fangirls…"
The rosette, still looking at him, nodded in understanding before averting her own eyes from the raven-haired boy. Sasuke stood up, holding out a hand to help the pink-haired girl up from her sitting position. She gratefully grasped onto his hand, letting him pull her up to stand. She was still trembling from her fearful experience. Scared of falling in a second time, Sakura clung on to Sasuke's wet shirt tightly with small fists. She buried her head in the back of his shirt, holding him there with her.
The raven-haired boy turned his head to look at Sakura who was currently dealing with a load of trauma. He sighed before telling her, "Sakura, let go of my shirt."
Her fists only tightened. "Sasuke-kun, I'm—"
"Let go," the raven-haired boy said more urgently.
The rosette, struggling to slowly unclasp her hand from his damp shirt, finally managed to slip her fingers away, letting her arms drop to her sides."Sasuke-kun?"
"Hm?"
"Could you…" Sakura began hesitantly, "could you help me out of here?"
Sasuke sighed before lending her a hand and walking toward some nearby rocks. The two slowly made it out of there, jumping on rock after rock, Sakura clutching tightly to his hands. Outside, they could smell the salty air and hear the sound of seagulls overhead. The sun shone brightly in the blue sky.
The rosette and the raven-haired boy stood there, enjoying the smells and sights, forgetting that their hands were joined. They didn't notice a blond boy sneaking up from behind. It wasn't until they felt a hand on their shoulder that pushed them together and a face that squeezed in between theirs that they realized Naruto (that rascal of a blond boy) had managed to push them together, their faces close. A flash of bright light blinded them.
Both of them blinked before realizing what had just happened: Naruto and one of his other accomplices had taken a picture of them. The three of them. The rest of the day at the beach was spent with Sakura awkwardly looking after Sasuke while he dashed across the beach trying to sock his best friend in the face. The funny part was that Sasuke still had that emotionless face plastered on throughout the whole entire time after his little time with Sakura in the cave.
(End Flashback)
The two of them had stopped walking. Sasuke stood there, struggling to keep his emotionless expression still plastered on to his face. 'That was her traumatic experience… how she became hydrophobic…' he thought blankly. Then, remembering what he had asked her earlier, Sasuke turned to his pink-haired friend before saying, "Ah, so the guy is just…someone from the past…" The raven-haired man had a feeling that it was him. But, knowing his childhood acquaintance's feelings, he chose not to blurt it outright.
The rosette, oblivious to the fact that he already had a notion, nodded hesitantly, thinking that he didn't know that she was talking about him. But, with her blunt feelings and actions, wasn't it obvious enough that it was him that she was talking about?
Sasuke gave a snort of a half-laugh that could only be done by him. "I kind of like that song," he stated plainly, starting to walk again toward the now visible building that held their psychology class. "But it's not my favorite."
Sakura turned her head to look at him curiously. "What is then?"
The raven-haired man thought about it for a moment. Then, satisfied with what he seemed to pull out of his head, replied monotonously, "I'd Rather Be With You and Green Eyes."
The rosette laughed at him. "Sasuke-kun, that's two songs." She gave him a small smile, keeping her pace with his.
"Tch. Annoying," Sasuke muttered, flipping his midnight hair out of his eyes. "If you heard them you'd know why I chose them." The raven-haired man turned to look at the female that walked beside him. "I'm going to be playing it to a class today."
The rosette raised her eyebrows. "Really? Which class?"
Smirk. "Can't tell you."
Sakura puffed out her cheeks. "Sasuke-kun!"
A small session of intense whining and asking from Sakura and one word answers from Sasuke (doesn't he have anything else in his vocabulary besides "Hn" and "Aa"?). Sakura and the raven-haired man next to her were unaware of a presence behind them.
Up until a familiar brunette tapped the rosette on the shoulder.
Startled, Sakura turned around, meeting the gaze of the frightening brunette that had ambushed her (with a help from her friends) just two months ago. The pink-haired girl stiffened at the sight of her. "Could we help you with anything?" she asked calmly, hoping that she came off as cool and collected. However, the quiver in her voice gave everything away. Sakura kept her body tense, ready to defend herself just in case she needed to.
The rosette, expecting a sucker punch to the jaw, was surprised when she saw the brunette smile and extend a hand. "Hi, I'm Reina," she said amiably, flipping her bangs out of her brown eyes. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I really hope that my first impression wasn't that bad." Her hand was still extended, a hopeful sign of friendship. Sincerity seemed to shine through her chocolate eyes. "No hard feelings?"
'First impression? You mean ganging up on me with your friends and beating the crap out of me? No, of course I wouldn't hold any hard feelings against you!' thought Sakura's inner self.
Ignoring her Inner Sakura, the rosette gave the brunette a smile before clasping her hand and giving her a firm handshake. "No hard feelings."
The brunette smiled. "Awesome! Oh, and before I forget..." Reina reached into her bag, pulling out an ivory envelope. She handed it to Sakura. "This is an invitation. I'm having a big party tomorrow night, so I'm just wondering if you wanted to come."
Sakura stared at the envelope. A party? She had been to a few before, but never one that was big. And big parties always had something to drink; not just "drink" drinks, but drinks—hard alcohol and beer and wine. Sakura had taken drinks before (oh, the memories of grad night), and she had sworn that she would never drink again. But, seeing how this was a good way to get rid of any tensions she had with the Sasuke worshippers, the rosette had to accept. I mean, what was the worst that could happen?
Making her decision, the rosette looking Reina in the eye, nodding determinedly. "I'm going. Thanks." She gave a small smile.
Reina's grin grew larger. "Awesome!" She started off toward her next class. "See you tomorrow, Sakura-san!" And with that, she raced off, leaving a slightly shocked Sakura and a confused Sasuke.
-xxx-
The brunette met up with her platinum blond friend. She snickered, an evil grin forming on her face.
The blond looked at her. "So, everything according to plan, I'm guessing?"
Reina's sadistic smile grew. "Oh, yeah." She gave her friend a smile. "She's going to the party, Akiko!" The Sasuke worshipper gave a squeal of glee, a plan forming in her head.
Akiko raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at her friend. "What's so great about that?"
The brunette threw her head back to laugh at her friend. "Oh, dear Akiko-chan," she spoke, waving a hand in her face, "this gives us a chance to prove that Sakura isn't really going out with our dear Sasuke-kun. In fact," Reina explained excitedly, "this is a great way." Her diabolical smile was back in place. "It's public humiliation. It's perfect."
Akiko flipped her blond hair over her shoulder before examining her manicured nails and adjusting her bag. "Whatever you say, Reina. It's your plan, not mine."
With a evil smile on her face and diabolical plan in her head, the brunette walked with her friend to her next class, plotting the next move as if she were playing a chess game. It was only a matter of time…
-xxx-
The bell had already rung and Sasuke and Sakura had made it just in time. Thankfully, the professor was late coming in and (Sasuke sighed in relief) had found another target to do a flying side-kick to the face. Today was just another lecture about classical conditioning and the project. Nothing was new yet. Not that they knew of anyway…
The rosette sat there the majority of class, staring at the invitation she had just received from the brunette that had showed her ill behavior just two months before. She felt a smile grow on her face. She was really making progress, really making new friends. Sakura felt a fluttery feeling dancing in her stomach.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was utterly confused. Why the hell would you beat up someone and then give them an invitation to your own party? It just didn't make sense! Unless…
The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow at the sudden thought that struck him. 'Unless the girl is planning something else…' His hand held a tighter grip on his pencil. That was it. That was the only logical explanation for a fangirl inviting his "girlfriend." It was to have another shot at hurting her… another way at harming her. Sasuke clenched his teeth as he squeezed the pencil in his hand.
'You have to protect her… protect her,' whispered a voice in his head.
And it was right (sadly). Sasuke had to. What else could happen if he was there? I mean, Sakura was already clumsy enough by all means, not to mention totally oblivious and naïve to whatever was happening around her. Which meant that she was vulnerable to those kinds of plans. For a book smart girl, she sure wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed…
Sasuke saw images flashing through his mind, of what could have happened if he hadn't stopped the girls from beating Sakura up, if he hadn't pushed her out of the car's way…
'She wouldn't be here right now… and I'd be the one to blame…'
The raven-haired man slammed his fist on the table, breaking his mechanical pencil. "Sakura, you're not going to the party."
The rosette tore her gaze away from the party invitation to gape at him, her green eyes widening. Then, realizing the raven-haired man's words, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me?"
They both knew that the whole class by now was staring at them. But right now, all that mattered was this conversation. And, the class, being very perceptive, knew that they should just wait, watch, and listen to whatever hell was about to break loose.
Sasuke kept his eyes on her, returning her glare. "You aren't going to the party."
The pink-haired girl stared at him, gaping at him. Then, she opened her mouth to return at him. Sputtering from anger and embarrassment, Sakura retorted, "Who do you think you are telling me where I can and can't go?"
The raven-haired man narrowed his eyes at her. "You aren't allowed to go," he stated simply. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."
Sakura stood up in her seat, slamming her fist on the table. "Dammit, Sasuke, you aren't my father! Why do you want to ruin my life?"
"Hey, you two, calm down now!" Gai-sensei called out to them, now turning away from his writing on the white board to look at them.
The raven-haired man ignored the psychology professor. He snapped. "Ruin your life?" he posed, lowly at first. "Ruin yourlife?" The raven-haired man rose from his seat, gazing down at her in absolute fury. "I've been putting up with you, helping you." By now, Sasuke had grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing them tightly and looking right into her eyes, anger and annoyance shining in his onyx orbs. "And this is the shit you're giving me?" He shook her hard, her pink hair brushing against his cheek. Sasuke let go of her, still keeping his gaze on the rosette who was still staring at him with a look of extreme shock and disbelief.
"You've been the one who's been ruining my life. And I don't give you shit like that." He sneered at her, poking her in the forehead. "You were the one that made me lose the opportunity to go to America to study in Harvard."
Poke. "You were the one that decided to make us go to the bar on grad night."
Poke. "You're the one who's getting us both into this mess!" Sasuke snarled before adding the finishing blow. "And you're the most annoying person I've ever known."
This was too much. Sakura had never seen Sasuke act like this. Never. Not when she had known him when they were little; not when she knew him in middle school; not even in high school when she was going through all her hormones and busy stage and annoyed him to death did she see him like this. The stress broke down on her, the horrible first day, the pain in her heart that throbbed for him, and the tirade that Sasuke had just shoved in her face.
Sakura started to cry. The tears dripped down her face, her sobs wracking her body and she held her face in her hand. She knew that everyone in the class was staring at her. But she didn't fucking care. Nothing really mattered anymore. Not when Sasuke, the man she had known since she was a little girl, didn't accept her, didn't like her… didn't…
Didn't love her. The rosette choked on another sob. Then, she decided to do something drastic. Something she had never done before…
"I hate you."
The raven-haired man, once silent and staring, growled at her, "What was that?"
The pink-haired girl grew bolder. "I fucking hate you." She lifted her head that once hung in pain and shame to gaze into Sasuke's onyx eyes. Sakura needed to do this. She wasn't going to let anyone, not even the raven-haired man himself, get away with publicly humiliating her, taking away her dignity. So she watched in satisfaction as Sasuke's eyes faintly widened.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "Listen, you brat—"
"No, Sasuke-kun," She sneered the suffix hatefully, "you fucking listen." She poked him in the chest. Hard. "Don't you dare blame that incident on me. You have not a single fucking right to say anything like that."
The fangirls in the room gasped.
Sakura ignored them. She was about to deliver the final blow. "You know what, Sasuke? If you think I'm so annoying, then I'll make it easy on you: we're over." Again, the girls in the room gasped. I mean, who would break up with a sex god like the Uchiha Sasuke? Sakura leaned up to Sasuke's ear to whisper, "Go find yourself another fake girlfriend. I'm done." Then, gathering her stuff when the bell sounded, the pink-haired girl walked out of the room as calmly as she could to her universal art class, leaving a group of happy (and shocked) fangirls that were now sending a certain raven-haired man predatory gazes.
Sasuke stood there, ignoring the many stares he was getting from his group of fans. He looked after the pink-haired girl. The raven-haired man felt a twinge of guilt tug at his heart (did he even have one?). He hadn't meant to go that far. It was just…
'She's so stupid…' Sasuke thought, sighing in exasperation. 'Why can't she just tell that I'm doing this for her…' Wait. Backtracking here. The Uchiha "Block of Ice, Doesn't Give a Fuck About Anyone" Sasuke actually cares? The world seems to be ending…
A loud chorus of "Sasuke-kun!" echoed in the room, bring the raven-haired man out of his thoughts and back in the psychology room that a group of fangirls were in. 'This is going to be bad…'
As if on cue, the scary group of obsessive Sasuke worshippers stampeded toward the raven-haired man, screaming out shrieks of "Sasuke-kuns!"
On the outside of the psychology class, Sasuke could hear the students already gossiping about what had just happened.
"Did you hear? Sasuke and Sakura just broke up!"
"Oh, my goodness, that is a total, like, shocker!"
"Yeah, and I hear it was just over a stupid party invitation. Can you believe it? He wouldn't let her go to a fucking party!"
Someone scoffed. "Talk about total cling factor."
The raven-haired man sprinted across the campus. 'I need to get her back…' Sasuke thought, jogging quickly toward the building that he was supposed to head for. 'But how?' The question pounded inside his head all the way to his destination. Sasuke was supposed to be heading to the back of the universal music class to meet the universal arts teacher who had kindly (no, not really) asked him to play a song for her class to open up the new unit. And right now, he had to do so. 'Or else the teacher will kill me…' So, pushing the thought of a certain pink-haired girl that always seemed to annoy him to the ends of the earth, Sasuke twisted the doorknob to the backstage to meet the art teacher.
-xxx-
Sakura sat down in her seat, brushing out the random strands of pink hair that hung in her face. She sat near the front, right in front of the teacher… who was currently not here. What a spot, ne? The pinkette sighed, taking out the plan that the teacher had laid out for the class. Their first unit had been art and art history. Now, they were moving on to a new unit today: instruments. A few days ago, the teacher had announced that someone was coming in to play a song for them to open up the new unit. And everyone was on edge for today. It wasn't everyday that someone came in to a college class to play.
Finally, everyone in class, once buzzing about Reina's awesome party that was going on tomorrow night and how the rosette had just broken up with the hottest of all hotties, quieted down when they saw the universal art teacher coming out from the backstage door.
The teacher smiled. "Alrighty, class! Today, as we all know, we have a visitor who is going to play a song he has chosen for this very special day. It's apparently one of his favorites. But! That's not the point!" She gave the class a small smile. "The point is that this performance is going to open up the next unit for us today. However"—the teacher raised a finger to prove another point—"our visitor isn't exactly ready. So…"
Sakura sank lower in her seat. The professor was picking out a victim to play an instrument in front of the class. And Sakura had already demonstrated some artistic skills in the beginning of the year. 'Please don't pick me… please…'
But, of course, the Heavens hated her. The professor turned her gaze to look directly at the pink-haired girl in front of her. "Sakura! You are going to entertain us for a while." The teacher smiled before waving her hands across a few instruments behind her. "Pick one of these instruments to play for us. Maybe even sing a song!"
Sakura, dragging herself up to the stage, walked over to the piano. She twiddled her fingers. "Ah, I only know one song…"
"That's perfect!" cried the professor, ushering for her to sit down and play.
'Well,' the rosette thought, 'I guess I have to.' Sitting down on the bench, Sakura placed her hands on the keys, positioning them just right. Taking a deep breath, the rosette sealed her fate… and started to play, the music echoing around the room.
-xxx-
"Shit!" a raven-haired man cursed. Sasuke was sitting in the back of the stage, tuning his guitar. He looked at the cut that formed on his ring finger, the blood oozing out. The raven-haired man grimaced. He was supposed to be on stage right now, playing a song and then getting the hell out of there. 'So much for that…' Sasuke sucked on his bloodied finger before standing up and adjusting the guitar strap on his shoulder. He walked toward the door that lead to the classroom and turned the knob. Just as he was about to go on stage, the raven-haired man heard the sound of piano keys being played, a simple tune coming up. He looked upon the stage, finding a head of pink hair he knew all too well. She was playing the piano. Chords were plunked out in perfect harmony.
Then, she opened her mouth to sing. "He drowns in his dreams… An exquisite extreme I know. He's as damned as he seems. And more heaven than a heart could hold…" She pounded harder on the keys. "And if I try to save him, my whole world would cave in. It just ain't right…" Her fingers played softer on the keys. "No, it just ain't right…"
Sasuke could tell that she was going into the chorus. Listening closely to the music, he heard something, something resonating behind the lyrics from the pinkette's heart.
Sakura took a breath, her fingers playing chord to chord. "Oh, and I don't know… I don't know what he's after. But he's so beautiful… such a beautiful disaster." She took another breath, her emerald eyes shining in the light. "And if I could hold on through the tears and the laughter…. Would it be beautiful, or just a beautiful disaster?"
The raven-haired man, now sitting down in a seat by the students, gazed upon her. What was she saying in her song?
"He's magic and myth… as strong as what I believe. A tragedy with… more damage than a soul should see." Sakura turned her eyes toward the crowd, capturing Sasuke's eyes instantly. She didn't look away. "But do I try to change him? So hard not to blame him. Hold me tight… baby, hold me tight…"
Sakura took in a breath, keeping her gaze at him. "Oh, and I don't know… I don't know what he's after. But he's so beautiful…such a beautiful disaster…" Her hands pumped at the keys. "And if I could hold on through the tears and the laughter….Would it be beautiful, or just a beautiful disaster?"
The tune changed from the wondering tune to the determined, the chords pounded into the piano more urgently, more desperately. "I'm longing for love and the logical. But he's only happy hysterical. I'm searching for some kind of miracle… Waited so long… waited so long…"
The revelation hit him with a force that nearly knocked him over in his chair. 'Sakura's… singing about me…' It was about him. Right? Sasuke's thoughts led him back to way back when they were young. She had been there by his side, from the time when he had lost his parents and his brother to now in college. She didn't just become his "girlfriend" because she wanted the fame, the attention, or to get the fangirls off her back. Sakura did it for him. Like how he was doing it for her.
Resolutely standing up from the crowd and ignoring the audible gasps from the girls in the room, Sasuke spoke out before Sakura could complete her song. "Ma'am, I'm ready to go up there." He was going to do this, to get her back to help the both of them out. It was the only way.
The professor, forgetting that he was present, snapped out of her trance that Sakura's beautiful music has caused, ushering him on to the stage. "Of course, Sasuke. Come on up here and play us a beautiful song." She turned back to Sakura who was sitting at the piano, trying to glare at the raven-haired man. But Sasuke knew that behind those glares were tears, waiting to be shed. The professor gave Sakura a kind smile. "Thank you, Sakura. That was beautiful."
Sakura gave her a quiet sign of thanks before asking her professor, "Would it be okay if I just sat here on stage?" She quickly added, "Please?"
The professor gave her a swift nod (apparently not even paying anymore attention to her) before dashing off the stage. Sakura could hear the fangirls in the crowd growling.
Sasuke sat on a stool, positioning his hands on the guitar. He stared out into the crowd before doing the most unexpected thing. Sasuke turned his entire body in Sakura's direction, facing her completely and gazing into her eyes resolutely. He spoke out loud to the crowd, turning only his head to face them. "I'll be playing a song called Green Eyes." Turning his head back to the rosette, Sasuke placed his hands on the guitar and began to play one of the oddest songs Sakura had ever heard.
After a few strums on the guitar, Sasuke began. "Honey, you are a rock… upon which I stand. And I come here to talk… I hope you understand…" He continued the string of strums on his guitar, still gazing the rosette in her emerald eyes. "That green eyes… yeah, the spotlight, shines upon you… and how could anybody deny you?" Sasuke paused for a while, continuing the same string of chords he played. "I came here with a load… and it feels so much lighter now I've met you… And honey, you should know that I can never go on without you… Green eyes…" Another pause and guitar strummings echoed through the room.
He took another breath. "Honey, you are the sea upon which I float… and I came here to talk… I think you should know…"
Sakura held her breath. 'Green eyes…' She touched her face. 'Just like mine…' The rosette smiled at the thought before hearing the man in front of her, the love of her life sing a song for her. " That green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find…" Sasuke stretched out the note. "And anyone who tried to deny you must be out of their mind. `Cause I came here with a load and it feels so much lighter since I've met you..." Sasuke took another breath, watching the pink-haired girl dry her eyes. "And honey, you should know that I could never go on without you… Green eyes… green eyes…" Slowly, Sasuke pulled the song to a stop, repeating the first line that had started the song. "Honey, you are a rock…upon which I stand…"
Sasuke sat there on his stool, gazing at Sakura, boring his own onyx eyes into her emerald ones, the ones that he had sung about. In the crowd, a small applause began, building into a larger applause, until there was a standing ovation in the class. Even the fangirls stood up clapping.
Sakura stood up from the piano bench to walk over to the raven-haired man that kept her gaze. She wiped at her eyes unconsciously before giving him a small but genuine smile. "Ah… that was a great song."
"Aa…"
"Don't you have anything in your vocabulary, Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn."
The rosette pouted at him. "Sasuke-kun!"
The raven-haired man gave her his famous smirk before leaning up to whisper in her ear. "You're back to helping me get rid of my fangirls?"
Sakura pulled her ear away from his mouth, sending him a smile that she only saved for him. "Only if you let me go to the party."
Sasuke scowled at her, scoffing. "Sakura—"
"Please?" She gave him the best puppy dog face she could muster. 'C'mon…c'mon…'
"Hn. Fine. But be careful." The raven-haired man plastered on one of his practiced emotionless masks. "Now are you going to help me or not?"
Sakura smiled, giddy at the fact that they were both over the little drama that had erupted between them earlier. "Fine..." For show, the rosette shouted out, "I accept your apology."
The crowd erupted in a chorus of "Awwww"s.
Someone yelled, "Give him an acceptance kiss!"
Rolling her eyes at them, Sakura leaned in and gave the stoic young man a sweet kiss on the lips before pulling away to the sound of cheering and roaring of the crowd. Sasuke wrapped an arm around the small girl's waist, pulling her in toward him. But, of course, it was only for show.
-xxx-
Author's Note:Alright! 18 pages, yo! I've gotten three songs for this chapter thanks to the help of my dear friend Karli. :D She actually went out and made me a playlist for my story. I've used three of them so far (and gotten obsessed with one). I'm using the last one that I really liked for last. Best for last! :D I didn't exactly know how to end this either…
Maybe I should have added a line that had you and me in the classroom after the two had kissed and stuff, where I'd be screaming at everyone in the class, "LEAVE A REVIEW FOR MY STORY!" and make me run off. You'd be there writing me a review… right? Love it, hate it, or just want to say something—leave a review! :D