Ch.7 A glimpse at the truth

"I often laugh at Satan, and there is nothing that makes him so angry as when I attack him to his face, and tell him that through God I am more than a match for him"

-Martin Luther King

The cafeteria was large yet crowded

Kids of all heights and colors swarmed around and many lacked what Sakura called Politeness.

But the crowds seemed to part like the red sea as Sasuke lead the way

She pretended not to notice…but they were afraid

Not of her, but of him

And they had good reason

"Who do you usually eat with?" Sakura asked him.

"I don't have a usual table. I just go where there's room." Even as he said this Sakura knew it as a lie. Girls from every table eyed him. Some in fear with a tinge of desire. Others with full out lust. He could find room anywhere. Then there was the tall blonde. She may have been the only girl not eyeing her Miracle. Because she was eyeing her.

"Where do you want to sit?" He asked with a sigh. He seemed to be scanning the room, but yet again, Sakura knew better.

He wont look her way, Sakura thought, chancing a glance back at the blonde. I wonder…

"Sasuke?" Sakura pocked him in the side and pointed at the table in the back. "Introduce me to her."

*-*-*Abigail15Sage*-*-*

"Who do you usually eat with?" Sakura asked and stepped inside the cafeteria with her head held high. She was practically leading me!

I smirked down at her. She was petite and more than just pretty. And to top it off she had all the confidence in the world.

I scanned the cafeteria for Naruto. I wasn't looking for him to sit with him. Actually quite the opposite. I didn't want him anywhere near the girl beside me. Which made no sense…but I wasn't about to fight it.

It wasn't until then did I lock eyes with her. Ino. I automatically stiffened when she turned her attention from me to Sakura and even though we were far enough away, I could still feel how upset she was.

Your better off without me Ino, I thought. Then said "I don't have a usual table. I just go where there's room."

She gave me a look that I couldn't read and shrugged. She tucked a stray of pink hair behind her ear and I watched as her eyes worked there way through the crowds. It was strange, and I wasn't about to act on it, but it looked more like she was sizing them up. Looking at everyone and no one at the same time.

"Where do you want to sit?" I said with a sigh. Here I go again, I thought. Stop trying to make her into something she's not. She's just…looking for a table.

We were walking the isles until she suddenly stopped. But she wasn't looking at me. Somehow I knew just who her attention was on. The blonde chick who's gaze hasn't left the two of us since we walked in. My ex girlfriend. Time seemed to move in slow motion but my thoughts were racing.

The look they gave one another, the way Ino frowned when Sakura smirked…suddenly I knew where I was sitting today. Because Sakura liked challenges and Ino was practically daring her with her eyes to approach.

"Sasuke?" Her voice snapped me from my thoughts and she playfully pocked me in the side. Her actions didn't full me though, not with that look in her eyes.

She pointed in Ino's direction, and the air all by itself felt thicker. "Introduce me to her."

I choked on the breath I was about to take. Suddenly breathing didn't matter. All that mattered was doing as she said.

*-*-*Abigail15Sage*-*-*

"What are you doing here Lucifer." Haruhi hissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucifer, with his long white blonde hair and blood red eyes, crossed one foot behind the other and tucked his hands behind his head lazily.

"Sasuke hasn't killed anyone." Haruhi narrowed her eyes. "Believe it or not the Strange is keeping him in check. Every time he feels the need to kill, consciously or subconsciously, the mark wakes up. It gives him unimaginable pain so that he can do nothing but crawl and eventually pass out. It-"

"I know what the mark does you damn Mishap." Lucifer sneered.

"Better a Mishap then a Calamity you worthless snake." She retorted. Then looked at the ground. Just below her stood the Miracle. They were both on top of the roof and since the Strange was to busy to deal with the Calamity, Haruhi decided to do it herself. "Now I'll ask you again Lucifer, what's your business here?"

"Well-" Lucifer started.

"That was a trick question." Haruhi snapped. "You have no business here." She jerked her head to the side, "So leave."

"He may not have killed anyone yet, but he has lost control." Lucifer smiled as Haruhi's frown turned into a full out sneer. "Her name is InoYaminaka and he tossed her like a doll on his eighteenth birthday. She hit her head rather hard on a sharp rock about the size of a basketball." He smirked as Haruhi's eyes widened. "She almost bled to death."

"Sakura never told me this." She said more to herself then to the ice blonde man in front of her. "She said-"

"Do you really expect a Strange like Sakura to give you every one of her secrets? She gave the mark to the Miracle just in time, so I suppose he doesn't belong to me…yet. But I smelt the blood and I tasted the fear. I'm only here to…wait."

"You tried to control him." Haruhi said. "You tried to get him to join you here. Why?"

"I wanted to speak with him. There hasn't been a Miracle as strong as him in a long time."

"Speak with him." Haruhi scoffed. "You wanted to test him is what you wanted. And he's to young to pass any of your kind of sick demonic tests. He would have failed and killed someone and you would have been free to drag him down to the pits of hell."

"Well, well, well aren't you a smart one." Lucifer chuckled. "To bad you're a mishap. To low to be called a real angel yet to high to be a demon like I." He smiled at her like he felt sorry for her. Pity glowed in his eyes but she didn't want it.

"All your good for is taming the Strange."

*-*-*Abiagil15Sage*-*-*

I've never felt so on edge in my life. I could feel the tension and could probably taste it if I tried. I sat with a tight frown and tried to ignore Ino's stares. Because that was all I was getting…stares. In fact she hadn't said a word yet.

Sakura on the other hand looked…perfectly at ease. Surprise surprise.

"So you lived in Egypt for a year? Wow how cool!" That was Ten-Ten. One of Inos' most close, but also most spontaneous, friends. If Ino went out with her she was sure to do something stupid. Like shoplifting. Yeah shoplifting came with the Territory of hanging with Ten-Ten.

"Not really." Sakura shrugged. "All there is in Egypt is sand."

"And Pyramids." Finally Ino said something. Her chin was in her palm.

Sakura smiled brightly at her. "So your not mute after all?"

Ten-Ten snickered and I looked at Sakura in surprise. Somehow I always knew she had an attitude. The kind that made her who she was. But I had never actually seen her in action. Except with Shikamaru but he disserved it.

"I just haven't had much to say is all." Ino smiled back, but there was nothing pretty about it. Ino, on the other hand, I knew had an attitude. And it made her one of the most feared girls in school.

"Hmm, well enough about me." Sakura said to Ino and ignored Ten-Tens protests. "Where have you traveled…I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"It's Ino. And I haven't traveled much. Not everyone has a life style like yours." The two girls stared at each other, neither looking away, until Sakura cracked a smile.

"Ino? What a lovely name. I've always loved pigs."

"Okay!" I interrupted before it could get any more uncomfortable. I knew Ino, and if any one brought up the word pig then there was sure to be trouble. Not many people really looked into it but Ino meant pig and if you ever mentioned it…prepare to die. "Lets talk about something else."

Sakura frowned as if to say 'but I was just beginning to enjoy myself' then sighed, "Sure."

"No not sure." Ino hissed then leaned in giving Sakura a glare. "I was named Ino after the mortal queen of Thebes. If you studied your Greek mythology you'd know that."

Sakura leaned in as well and looked dead in Ino's eyes. "Wow look at you, so smart. But did you know that Ino was one of the lowly goddesses? If I were you I'd embrace the meaning 'pig' before you pride yourself on being named after the white goddess."

Ino stood up abruptly, "Who do you think you are!"

"Ino!" I stood up with her. "Relax."

"Relax?" She looked at me as if she'd been smacked. "I cant believe this!"

"Ino don't make a scene." Ten-Ten mumbled but Ino gave a fast motion that did everything except actually say "shut up!"

"What do you see in her Sasuke?" Ino demanded an answer. "She's stuck up and-"

"Sick and tired of hearing your voice." Sakura interrupted, slowly standing. "I have no problem with your insults as long as there're in hushed tones but screaming for the whole world to hear is a different story."

Ten-Ten looked jut as uncomfortable as I felt. Like me, this was probably the first time she'd seen someone stand up to Ino.

"I'll scream all I want." Ino said, but even so her voice went down a good octave or two. Thank god. "This is my school pinkie."

"How original." Sakura muttered then smirked, it made me nervous and I grabbed her wrist, giving a good tug.

"Lets get out of here." I said in her ear but Ino heard.

"No Sasuke-" Ino pleaded with her eyes, "I don't want you to go." She pointed an accusing finger at Sakura, "It's her that should leave."

"Ino-" I started.

"No Sasuke she's right. You should stay. I've got some unfinished business I need to take care of anyway." She put a hand on my shoulder and discreetly pushed me down back in my seat. "Stay here."

*-*-*Abigail15Sage*-*-*

Sakura didn't know why she was being so cruel to the blonde

Maybe it was the way she represented a good challenge

Or maybe she was so on edge about the demon on the roof that this was her way of distracting herself

"No Sasuke I don't want you to go." Ino pointed at Sakura with a manicured finger and Sakura imagined biting it. "It's her that should leave."

Suddenly she sensed the Mishap, Haruhi. It was easy to over look and almost smothered with every other aura in the room. But none the less, she could feel it.

Above, she thought sparing a glance up at the ceiling. Then mentally growled, and she's with Lucifer. That damn idiot.

"Ino-" Sasuke started, he looked tired.

"No Sasuke she's right." Sakura forced herself to look down from the ceiling and into the dark pools of blue eyes. Her Miracle's eyes. "You should stay. I've got some unfinished business I need to take care of anyway." She softly placed her hand on his shoulder and guided him back down.

The best way to keep him safe was to keep him in a crowed area. That was her plan from the very beginning. But the Mishap had changed things. Whether Sakura liked to admit it or not, she considered Haruhi as a good partner. Not so much a friend, but someone she'd mourn for if she were to die. She couldn't just stand around while the Mishap was face to face with a dangerous demon like Lucifer. But she couldn't just leave Sasuke either.

"Stay here." She ordered, then threw a goodbye smile at Ten-Ten, cunningly avoiding Ino's harsh gaze.

She left the cafeteria behind and rushed to an isolated corner in the hall. "Light."

Following her orders, her body shifted and began to clear. Her hair blended with the orange light from the window and her eyes took on a sparkling shade. Suddenly she didn't need the ground anymore. She was free to fly.

One minute she was inside, the next she was on the roof. One of the many advantages of being a Strange.

"All your good for is taming the Strange." She heard Lucifer taunt the Mishap and Sakura let out a laugh. It wasn't a nice laugh, and neither was her smile.

Her feet landed on the ground and her hair fell down her shoulders in long locks. Her eyes gleamed a violent shade of green and her skin lost the bright light, slowly turning milky.

"Tame a Strange?" Sakura came up behind Lucifer and he turned abruptly to face her.

"Not possible."

Haruhi let out a sigh of relief.

"Well hello there beautiful." Lucifer reached out to tuck a lock of Pink hair behind her ear and Sakura slapped it away. Her smile took on a cruel form.

"He was here to test Sasuke." Haruhi's voice informed her and Sakura came in inches from his face.

"Is that so?" Sakura glared into the blonde man's eyes. "So you were planning on taking him away to hell. You were going to steal him away from me. You were going against the laws of god? Tell me if I'm getting any of this wrong."

"I don't go by the laws of god." Lucifer lost his dazzling smile.

"No, of course not." Sakura gripped the front of his shirt with deathly fingers. "You are Satan's little puppet after all."

Lucifer began to say something but was stopped by Sakura's smile. He had never seen a more terrifying smile in his life or after life.

She let out a dark laugh, "Let me make myself perfectly clear snake. You came here and by doing so you threatened my Miracle. You threaten my Miracle, you threaten me."

"Go to hell!" Lucifer spat.

Sakura chuckled, "I'm never going back there again."