A/N: This is my longest yet.
Let's get some facts straight if you have forgotten, including me. If you have any questions/requests, please mail it to the HaruAaki studio with a 5 dollar stamp or through the FedEx Express system.
Momoihro means peach-color, and Sasuke calls Sakura that and she gets pissed off because she's Sakura. I tried to do it with Sakura-ihro or Sakura-unbo but that was too long and that's her name so…
Sasuke's gang has 7 members: Himself, Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Kiba, Neji, and Lee. His gang does not have an official name but is referred simply as the "Uchiha." Itachi broke away from Akatsuki, and Shisui is his best friend. Their teachers are from the Sannins' gang.
Gaara's gang is named Sand.
Sasuke and the others are currently aged 19/20, and have finished high school. The high school flashbacks are taken in their second year at Konoha High. The third year is the last one in Japan. And obviously Sakura hates Sasuke.
SNS stands for Sky Nuclear System. Konoha is located in Tokyo, but is fictional. Sasuke's dad is the head of the Police Department of Tokyo and the top prosecutor in the nation. Mikoto works for the office of Homeland Security of Japan. The organizations are fictional.
Disclaimer: OMG EVERYBODY MASASHI KISHIMOTO JUST SENT ME A LETTER SAYING THAT HE WILL GIVE ME THE WHOLE NARUTO WORLD AND ITS CHRACTERS SO IN YOUR FACE IM THE OWNER OF NARUTO NOW—no.
A redheaded boy sat on his chair, as a girl opposite him was standing, telling him something of importance to the boy on the other side.
A ruby eyed girl, with matching hair, looked into the Sand's leader's eyes. Gaara could tell she hated the girl he was dealing with, and she was ready to tell him the whole truth. "That bitch's name is Haruno Sakura," she began with distaste. "Uchiha Sasuke has had a crush on her since he entered middle school, but she hates him for some reason I don't know. Sasuke would probably do anything to get her—"
"So that's why he couldn't talk back when she told him off?" asked Gaara.
"Probably; she's the only girl that Sasuke talks with, beside her friends."
"Then it's confidential that Uchiha will be pissed off once we're done with her?"
"I'm sure of it," she replied.
"Alright then," said Gaara, standing up from his chair of his massive living room. "You've been helpful, Karin, we're in your debt." He left his living room, toward upstairs where he would inform his brother and sister of his intended action.
At the cafe
"Teme," began Naruto, looking at Sasuke as they all got out of the coffee shop. "Didn't you tell me you didn't want Sakura-chan to hate you, so why do you act like that around her?" The rest of the gang looked up in interest—they all knew Sasuke and Sakura weren't in the best relationship to each other since… ever.
Sasuke looked at Naruto, pocketing his hands into his jeans. He sighed. "We've been through this, Naruto. It's not me, okay? It's her; I don't even know why she acts like that to me." He shrugged the subject off as they got into their bikes, all parked in the sidewalk.
"Yeah, okay," muttered Naruto, full sarcasm in his voice. His voice went unheard through the heavy traffic noise.
Flashback, Year 1 (1st grade)
"Welcome to Konoha Elementary, young learners," began a kind-faced man with a short ponytail, named Iruka. He was beginning his teaching career this year, and was very much hoping that he was given an easy class to deal with.
"Now, boys and girls, we have to get you into your groups; so, let's see..."—he looked at his clipboard, listed with his students—"Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and…Yamanaka Ino, you'll be Table 1." A girl with long, blond hair groaned.
Iruka kept assigning seats to until the last and seventh table was the only one empty. He looked up from his clipboard to witness two boys and a girl still standing. A foxy, blond boy with a stupid grin on his face was looking eager. Next to him was a raven-haired boy with matching eyes, his face stoic. The last one, a girl with blush-rose hair, looked nervous.
"Ah, alright, Table 7, head your way," Iruka directed as the three headed toward their table. The trio took a seat, Naruto girnning as usual. Sasuke remained stoic as Sakura took a seat beside them.
"Alright, junior learners, you can introduce yourselves to your classmates at your table! That would be the objective for the first class." Iruka-sensei sat on his chair near his desk, typing something on his computer.
"Hajimemashite! Yoroshiku! What's your name?" asked Naruto cheerfully toward Sakura.
Sakura looked taken aback that he had spoken to her. "Um, my name's Sakura—"
"Is your hair color natural?" asked Sasuke suddenly, arrogant. "Or is it dyed?"
Sakura frowned. "It's… natural. No, it's not dyed."
"Is that even possible?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows. Sakura's eyes twitched in annoyance; she had begun a liking to his looks but now his attitude was testing her temper.
"Well," said Naruto cheerily. "My name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." He gave her thumbs up. Sakura smiled uncertainly as she turned to Sasuke, who sighed and started running his hands through his straight bangs.
"My name's Uchiha Sa—"
"Did I ask?" cut in Sakura coldly. "And I don't care."
Naruto stared at her with his mouth wide open, admiring her retaliation. No girl ever talked to Sasuke Uchiha like that—ever. He chuckled nervously as he looked at Sasuke's reactions; the Uchiha as frowning slightly, taken aback by the girl's words. He stared at Sakura, the latter staring back at him with equal intensity. He shrugged it off as Naruto chuckled nervously.
"Er… well my favorite food is ramen," started Naruto as Sasuke groaned. "My favorite colors are blue and yellow, my favorite singer is Utada Hikaru, my favorite trait is relentlessness, and"—he looked at the other two, who were glaring at each other daggers, apparently not listening to what he was saying.
"Er, so do you have any siblings?" asked Naruto, looking at Sakura, trying to get rid of the tense moment.
"Yes, I do. I have four older brothers," replied Sakura, not taking her eyes off of Sasuke.
Naruto whistled. "How old are they?"
"The oldest one is…6 years older than me."
"Woa, teme," he nudged Sasuke. "You'd better be careful, don't want to get them after your back."
"Hn."
Naruto started the engine, reminiscing the days.
Flashback, Year 3
Sasuke, this time a bit older, walked into the science classroom, his face looking smug. His six other friends looked up as he entered the room; they had been friends since their second year at Konoha Elementary.
"Yo, what's up, teme?" Naruto asked. "Shika just finished doing our homework for us—you didn't give me your paper—"
"Troublesome," the genius murmured as he finished mimicking Naruto's hand writing, which had been a challenge.
"I didn't need to," Sasuke smirked, taking out a piece of paper. Naruto gasped.
"You actually did your homework?" he asked, shocked.
"No, dobe, Momoihro dropped it so I picked it up," he answered. "She didn't put her name on it so, whatever." Sasuke put his name at the top. The rest of his gang shook their heads while Naruto looked concerned. Sasuke looked up. "By the way, before you shout at me for not do I tried to give it back to her, but I ended up getting yelled at." He passed it to the bin where the teacher had them put their assignments. They tried to look innocent, the raven especially, when the said girl with pinkish hair entered the room, apparently panicking.
She looked around the room, her eyes searching for someone—it stopped when she saw Sasuke. Sakura narrowed her eyes, walking toward him. "Uchiha, have you seen my assignment that Mizuki-sama gave us?"
Sasuke sighed in mock exasperation. "I tried to give it back to you, but you just had to ignore me—"
"Well, give it back," she said forcibly. She added, "Please."
"Too late, I handed it in," he replied. "With my name on it, so get over it—"
"Do you know how much I worked on that, you bastard?" she asked quietly, gritting her teeth. "Do you know that I put all of me into that?"
Smirking, he said, "No, I don't know and I don't care." Sakura's face became flushed with fury, her hands turning into fists. She reminded herself that no good deed goes unpunished and that she would just get over it. She counted three in her head and walked away, sitting in the front.
The rest of Sasuke's gang continued on what they were doing—but Naruto, who was frowning, stared at Sakura's back, confusion in his eyes.
The seven of them cut into the busy street at once, Sasuke in the lead.
Flashback, Year 7
Sasuke sat on mountainous rock, observing the school entrance from the top, looking around for a certain pink in the Friday afternoon. Naruto, his best friend, was entertaining himself with killing ants with a magnifying glass. "Teme, you know she's gonna turn you down, so stop looking for her and let's play some hoops with—"
"Oi, Momoihro!" shouted Sasuke, having spotted Sakura with her three other friends, Hinata, Tenten, and Ino. He ignored Naruto's groan and slid down the slope, walking toward the pink haired girl. Sakura groaned and looked at him.
"It's not Momoihro, and what do you want, Uchiha?" asked Sakura exasperatedly. "You made my day miserable already so what the hell do you want? You got me into detention just for the kicks—"
"That's because you left your phone on. Sakura, do you want to go out with me?" asked Sasuke, running through his hair and putting on his seducing look, wondering if it would work. Sakura, in turn, put on a sheepish smile and approached Sasuke.
"Aw, Sasuke," she said his name in a sweet tone. Then her face changed into a glare. She said slowly, in a different tone, "I'd rather; Kill. Myself." Next she pushed him away and walked down the hill. "By the way, I don't know how you got my number but stop calling me."
"Come on," she said to the three other girls, Tenten and Ino gaping open mouthed; Hinata didn't look as surprised. They still stood where they had been, but quickly followed Sakura who was walking farther away from them.
Naruto whooped. "What did I tell you, teme!?" he shouted from top of the rock. He slid down the rocky slope and walked to Sasuke, the former shaking his head.
"She's probably dying inside," murmured Sasuke, expressionless. Naruto snorted as they walked back to the school field, looking for the others. He muttered something that sounded like "Yeah, dying probably," before stopped by the raven's glare. They spotted Lee doing a three point shot, yelling something about doing fifty laps if he missed.
"Yosh!" he shouted, having made the basket. "Since I have made it, I'll make it seventy-five laps around the field! Yes, Gai-sensei would be proud of me right now!" The rest of the gang sweat dropped, Neji muttering, "Sanity…"
"Hey, guys!" Naruto shouted, looking eager to blurt out the news. "Guess what? Sasuke got turned down by Sakura-chan!" The rest of them stared at him, giving him a "So?" look. Naruto looked disappointed at the lack of anticipation. "Did you hear me, the teme got turned down by—"
"—Haruno," finished Shikamaru. "Yeah, troublesome that you actually had to be there to see it; even Lee here could see through that one"—he passed the ball to Kiba, only to have it stolen by Shino, who risked a shot. Lee whooped as it went in.
"Ah, the perfect view of a perfect basket—one of the things the rising generation should appreciate—"
"Shut, up, Lee," cut Neji, looking a bit pissed that they had lost. "We got Sasuke next—"
"Nope, he's heart-broken," announced Naruto, putting on a mock pout. "He can't stand her turning him down, so I don't think he can play—"
"If Sakura-chan has turned down Sasuke-san, then I will do hundred and fifty laps for her! I will only get one hour of sleep each day and I will work three times as harder—"
"Shut up!" half-shouted Neji, having heard Lee's rant too much in his life, and fully knowing that they were true to the words. Sasuke didn't say a word as Neji threw him the ball, Shikamaru getting out of it due to his laziness.
They arrived at the drag strip quickly, the seven of them getting out to greet the owner, a racer himself.
"Doing good, eh, Uchiha?" asked the racer in an undershirt, but looking not so tough. "I see your gang's in top shape…"
Flashback, Year 9
In the driveway of Sasuke's house, Naruto and the raven haired teen was playing basketball—yet again. Naruto had met Sasuke in preschool, where he learned that the former was an orphan because both his parents had died and left him in an orphanage. That summer, Sasuke had offered him to live with him, since the house was already too big for a single individual.
Naruto had accepted with enthusiasm, and had left the orphanage despite the fact that he wasn't eighteen yet. The rest of the gang would come in and frequently stay over due to the luxurious level of the house. Since then, the Naruto had been craving for more ramen, the stand being just a block from them.
"You know," he said as he attempted a layup. "I'm going to make business with Ichiraku's, maybe set it up in New York, London, and maybe Paris. Oh, and Melbourne and Sydney"—he was blocked by Sasuke arm. He regained position, dribbling the ball twice quickly before faking left and then shooting a jump shot. He missed and Sasuke brought it back, moving to the side.
He sighed at the yet another comment on Naruto's ambition, closing his eyes and turning away from the basket. He tipped his hand over, the ball traveling slowly before it went through the net.
"Show off," muttered Naruto as he fell down on the grass driveway, gasping for air.
"Dobe, it's called skills."
"Hmph," said Naruto, looking at the sky and catching his breath. "Teme, can I ask you a question?"
"Hn,"
"If you like Sakura-chan, then why do you annoy her so much?" he asked, looking at Sasuke who sat on the steps to his porch.
Sasuke sighed again. "Because," he said. "I can't help it. When she's mad, she's just so…cute." He shifted and stared at the row of houses on the other side of the street.
"Heh, never heard that one before," said Naruto, smirking. "But you know, if you keep doing that she's never going to like you—"
"Yeah, dobe, and since when have you been giving me advice on my love life?"
"Just stating the obvious…" Naruto got up, smiling weirdly. "Oh by the way, I'm going for a bowl or two of ramen, gotta fill up…" He walked out of their driveway, then pacing before running full speed toward the next block.
"Got the dirt track just this week"—Idate, the racer, pointed at the hilly, overly terrestrial strip.
Flashback, Year 11
Gaara stood up, started approaching toward his attacker with a loathing look. Sasuke smirked at him, and was about to charge on him when-
"Stop it!" A girl, about a head shorter than Sasuke with pink hair with, stepped between them, looking at Sasuke with her fiery yet emerald eyes. He looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.
"Haruno, you can't have welcomed his appearance here, so why-"
"Sasuke, I think you're no better than him. Actually, I know that you're no better than him! You pick stupid fights just for the kicks of it. If you went to their school, I bet you would've done the same exact thing as him! You could have reported them to Sarutobi-sensei, but no, you have to go fight them-"
"And leave you to them?" retorted Sasuke.
"He wouldn't have done a thing to me! You know one thing that I can't stand to watch, Sasuke? A fight! And you and the others probably do it every other day-"
"Sakura-chan, Sasuke's not like that-" defended Naruto.
"You stay out of this, Naruto! It goes the same for you, anyway," she looked back at Sasuke, her eyes still piercingly livid. "I don't get what other girls see in you! To me, you're just an arrogant show-off that just demands attention!"
She walked off, Ino patting her sympathetically.
After detention
"Hey, teme!" slurred Naruto. "You haven't said anything since three hours ago. What's up-"he tripped again.
Sasuke wasn't paying attention. His head was focused on the ground below him, his bangs covering his face. Despite his posture, he walked perfectly as Naruto attempted to catch up to him, tipping slightly.
"Is this about Sakura?" Naruto asked. "C'mon, she always insults you when even when you're around her. I mean, she practically hated you from Day 1, so what's the problem-"
Sasuke glared at him. "You think I want her to hate me?" he asked, turning toward him. "Do you think I want her to shout at me every time I get detention or every time we get into a fight?"
"Teme, why do you care? You two were never really friends, so why do you even bother?" asked Naruto curiously, wondering what had caused his best friend to act like this.
Sasuke shook his head. "Never mind, Naruto…" He walked off, his bangs shadowy and pitch-black as he walked down the hill quickly.
Naruto tried to catch on to his friend's fast pace, but was held back, walking slowly like a drunken man. "I…need…Red…Bull…or…Ichiraku's…r….ramen…" He stepped on a pebble, cursing then kicking it away from him.
Naruto turned around, walking through the already dark street, thinking of his favorite ramen on the way to Ichiraku's. He heard something right beside him, but ignored it, thinking it was his imagination.
"…Naruto," repeated the voice.
"Huh? God?" He turned around, facing Sakura, the very one that had shouted at him just this afternoon. She shook her head, smiling slightly.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, hey," he replied awkwardly. "Ne, do you wanna go for a bowl of ramen?"
"Um…sure," she replied, walking beside him. They were quiet for a few minutes, before turning to the street of Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.
She suddenly began, "Naruto, sorry about earlier, I know that guy from Sand was being a jerk, and I know you two were only helping—"
"Hm, I don't mind, but better tell the teme, he was sulking when he left from detention—"
"Do you know," she said quietly. "Why I hate fights so much?"
Naruto guessed as they neared the ramen stand, "Because…we can get hurt?"
She laughed bitterly. "Partly; but that's not all. My dad…he got killed trying to stop a gang fight; T-that was before I met you and Uchiha—well he was in a gang himself, but more of a lawful one, the ones that do the right thing"—her voice cracked a bit.
"Here," said Naruto, putting a hand on her back and leading her to the stand, where, for a rare occasion, the seats were empty. "Maybe some Miso Ramen would cheer you up—it always does for me."
"Y-yeah, thanks…"
"No problem." The two both sat, waiting for—
"Ah, there's the old man," said Naruto with a big grin.
Teuchi, the owner and head chef of the infamous ramen bar, greeted them with enthusiasm. "Irashaii! Ah, Naruto again, eh?"—his head turned to Sakura—"And a girlfriend of yours, I assume?"
"She's not my girlfriend," said Naruto flatly, turning a bit red. "A close friend of mine."
Teuchi, apparently unconvinced, said, "Well, alright, have it your way; the usual, I'm guessing?"
"Yep, your best one so far," replied Naruto, referring to his favorite ramen.
"Mhm, coming right up!" The chef disappeared to the side, where he usually prepared his ramen.
"Hm, you seem to be close to him," commented Sakura. She stared into the wall, a far-away look in her eyes. Naruto looked at her.
"Yeah, I used to come here since preschool, before I met any of you guys," said Naruto, smiling. Sakura tried to smile, but ended up sighing.
"What's up, Sakura?" asked Naruto. "I know teme fights all the time, but he's not worth the—"
"I'm not wearied because of Uchiha, Naruto; it's just that he annoys me so much and does things that reminds me of my dad," said Sakura, a bit loudly. "I mean, he's all cocky and doesn't care about what other people think—oh and don't start about getting to know him and all that crap; I really would, but it's practically impossible to stay in the same room and not end up killing each other or something." She put her hands on her hair, frustrated. "And his fangirls, they hate me because I have his stupid jersey and he keeps asking me out every week—"
"Huh? You have teme's jersey? Who has mine?" asked Naruto eagerly.
Sakura sighed hopelessly. "Are you a shooting guard? Because I think Ino has yours…"
Naruto cursed. "Damn, that pig has my jersey? That jersey is like so genuine, there's no other jersey like that."
"Anyway," interrupted Sakura. "Let's not let your A.D.D. interfere; and do me a favor and answer my question, Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Does Uchiha ever date anyone?" asked Sakura with distaste.
"Um, yeah if you say yes this Saturday—"
"Tell him to stop asking me and move on with some other slut that's waiting in the line—"
"Hey, the teme has morals you know! And to be honest, he likes you because you don't treat him like those fangirls; he likes you 'cause you see him for who he is. And you know why he always speaks in a monotone and has that same look on his face most of the time in school?—that's 'cause he doesn't want to deal with all the fangirls—but he never acts like that around you."
Sakura, not listening, looked at her watch and groaned. "Shannaro! I gotta go, Naruto, I promised my mom I'll call her at six-thirty"—she got up from the chair. She looked at Naruto's quizzical look. "Oh, she's in Europe because she's monitoring my brothers—they're in a dojo competition, you see; they're coming back soon for the semifinals here, I think…"
"Is that why you're so vigorously strong, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto tactlessly, not thinking at all. "You know, with all your brothers and all the dojo stuff."
A vein popped out of Sakura's head, a provoked and wrathful glint in her eyes. She turned her eyes to Naruto dangerously, saying slowly, "I'm…not…strong!" She smacked him on the head hard.
"Ow!" cried out Naruto, clutching his head. "I was saying the facts you know!"
"Whatever. Later, Naruto," said Sakrua, leaving the ramen bar.
Teuchi came by just as Sakura disappeared behind the blinds, two ramen bowls in his hands. He gave Naruto a knowing look. "Hmm, ditched again, Naruto? But you always end up eating both bowls, so here you go"—he put down the bowls in front of Naruto, who looked at it preciously.
"Thanks, old man!" exclaimed Naruto, but thinking, Sakura should really have tried this…
"So, Uchiha, you wanna try it out? I'll show you some game today," he nudged his head at the course, looking at Sasuke with a smirk. Sasuke nodded subtly, enough to get the racer, Idate, to start his motorcycle. "You know, my bro's bein' tellin' me too much things about you, Uchiha, and I wanna pay you back for the last time."
"Hn," said Sasuke as he started the engine, and moved it on the starting line.
"A full mile," said Idate, nodding. "Four times around the raceway…"
"Heh, coach's little brother seems confident enough," said Neji, crossing his arms. "Nara, what do you think?"
"It means he's got something up his sleeve—but don't worry, I've got it covered, just updated Sasuke's bike last night," the genius said, looking bored. "There's about zero percent chance Sasuke's gonna lose…"
Other raised their eyebrows, wondering what Shikamaru had put in Sasuke's bike, except Shino, who was looking amused. "Hmm, so you weren't kidding, Shikamaru?"—he looked at the others as the latter ones turned their gaze at him—"I painted the blue highlights on his bike last night so yeah." He shrugged.
"Alright, alright, ladies, we don't want any dirty racing," announced Naruto, snapping out of his flashbacks. He went to the start line, where Idate and Sasuke was lined up in parallels, and put an arm across. "But boosts are okay, but we don't want our delicate ladies to get burned—"
"Shut up, dobe," cut the raven as Idate smirked.
"Whatever, teme," he whistled and lifted his arm up quickly before the two started to accelerate rapidly, cutting into the dirt track. Sasuke began to lead, Idate right behind his tail. About two seconds later, Idate's bike screamed as it let out a blue ray of nitrogen—
"What the hell?" shouted Kiba, stopping his usual habit of petting Akamaru for a moment. "Where did he get that?! He's in the lead now!"
"Stop idolizing that Idate, inu person," said Naruto. "Sasuke's not gonna lose because of some nitrogen oxide." He grabbed a radar as Shikamaru through him one.
Shikamaru sat on the concrete ground, away from the track, and stared at the clouds. "Just measure Sasuke's speed at the finish line." With that he observed the white nimbus clouds, tilting his head slightly to get a different angle of view.
Idate gained more speed, and as they passed the half line of the raceway, their bikes screeched as they entered a serious turn; Idate used another blast as they neared a curving hill, right before the finish line; Sasuke maneuvered his bike to the sloping side and disappeared, before appearing a bit behind Idate. They crossed the finish line.
"Three more laps to go!" exclaimed Lee, his eyes wide with pride. "If Sasuke-san has enough skills to beat Idate-san, then I will show Gai-sensei that I can race 300 kilometers per hour in a curving raceway—"
"Shut up, Lee, that's impossible," interrupted Neji, his arms still crossed. "Stick with push-ups."
Naruto began. "I will laugh on teme's face if he crashes when he does a three-sixty at the finish line—"
Idate used his last boost as he led Sasuke by 30 feet. Sasuke smirked as he accelerated smoothly, traveling through the narrow slope at the curve; Idate gained maximum speed as they went through the hill, rushing past the finish line.
"Two more…"
The young Uchiha leaned against the handle slightly as he chased Idate—the raven would usually have the lead if not for Idate's boost—but he got closer and then about ten feet behind him—then a five—
"Suman-na, Idate," murmured Sasuke as he neared the opposing racer. He moved to Idate's right side, traveling in parallels. Then he pretended to crash against Idate's bike, the latter slowing down rapidly. Sasuke smirked as he maneuvered himself into a circle around Idate—
"What the fuck—"Idate stopped as Sasuke rushed past his front, making a circle around the former before shooting straight through the track—gaining the lead.
"Hm, whatever," said Idate, regaining his composure. "This'll probably burn the engine…" He let out a green flash as his bike smoked through the wind, rushing past Sasuke and kept its momentum for at least fifteen seconds—
"Last lap," said Naruto, eager. "Lose, teme, lose, teme, lose, teme…"
Sasuke, about fifteen feet behind Idate, cursed but kept going through the dirt track, screeching through the curve—then the curving hill—nearing the finish line for the last time—
BANG! A jet flash of red and gold shot past the raceway as Sasuke traveled at light speed—the wheels digging through the ground, the back of his bike literally burning.
He went past Idate with a blast before reaching the finish line, turning then doing a three sixty as his bike spaded deep across the ground backwards. His wheels screeched as it emit burning flames, dust flying all over and silhouetting Sasuke's shape.
"Whoop!" shouted Kiba, his eyes wide as Akamaru barked continuously.
"Holy shit! That's 540 kilometers per hour! What the hell did you put in his engine, Nara?!" shouted Naruto, looking at the radar to the lazy genius Shikamaru, who was still looking at the clouds.
"Troublesome I have to explain; you put hydrogen in there and a drop of uranium; got it, dobe?" Shikamaru got to his feet, dusting his pants. "Ever heard of the Hindenburg?"
"No," said Naruto cluelessly.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, joining the others clapping Sasuke in the back. Lee was full of tears, admiring Sasuke's skills. "If I cannot master that circling move in 3 days I will run 400 laps a day before I can forgive myself! Yes, Gai-sensei, I will do exactly do—"
"Shut up, Lee!" groaned Neji as Idate approached them.
"Seems like you're too good to beat, eh, Uchiha?" he said, putting his hand on his hair and smiling like a little kid. "That might've burned your engine though; it was more like an explosion than anything else…"
"Nah," spoke up Shikamaru, putting his hands behind his head and stretching. "I made sure it wouldn't burn through."
"Heh, well, we got more guys in the line. Anyone else?"
"Right here!" shouted Kiba, putting Akamaru down. The little white dog barked defiantly. "Now, now, Akamaru, I don't want you to get hurt while I race…" He started the engine with enthusiasm as Akamaru pouted.
Naruto approached the lazy genius, patting him on the back. "Nice work, Nara, but I heard touching uranium can cause skin cancer and all that crap—"
"Then I'll die early, no big deal, you dobe," he said lazily, leaning on his own bike.
The rest observed as Kiba got ready to race, his opponent named Kentaro stepping in.
That afternoon
"I am so tired!" groaned Naruto, stretching as Sasuke and he got out of the foxy boy's favorite ramen bar, Ichiraku's. The two had stopped there for a bowl of ramen—for Naruto, for Sasuke never ate and just sat there to wait for his friend. Naruto sighed as the slight breeze through the late afternoon swooshed past his always optimistic yet childish face. "That was the best! We destroyed them; did you see that leap I did?" He went on complimenting his own moves as Sasuke barely listened, walking toward a park that would lead them to the back of their house.
"Teme, you thinking about doing a rally?"
"Dobe, rallies are so boring, why would I want to do a rally?"
"Cause! Tokyo's a pretty good spot to rally around, with all the traffic and all…You always do track land speeds…" He rambled on about what Sasuke should do, the latter catching words like "dattebayo" ever so often. When they neared the entrance of the park the two noticed a figure jogging toward their way, getting bigger by every step they took.
"Teme, look, it's Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, nudging his stoic friend. Sasuke grunted nonchalantly. "Teme, you should go apologize, maybe show her the good side of you—"
"Shut up, Naruto."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, motioning the girl that so despised fights and the young Uchiha.
Sakura took a glance as she slowed down reluctantly, groaning slightly. She had on a white hoodie and matching pants, taking out her iPod, well an iTouch to be exact, and stopping the music for a moment. "Naruto, what do you want now?"
"Oh, just an apology from both of us that we will never fight again, or hurt anyone, because people deserve to live their lives without being harassed by us—"
"Soh, soh, that's gonna happen," she started the music again and jogged away quickly.
"Oi, Haruno, you wanna go out with me?" shouted Sasuke, just out of habit.
She ignored him and paced herself out of the park.
"That's a no?"
"Dobe, what do you think?
Next morning
Yet again, the pinked haired girl jogged along a street near the highway, where it was a row of fancy three-story houses with a huge front lawn and backyards. Sakura was taking a shortcut to meet her three other friends, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, who has insisted they go shopping. She still had an hour left to get to the rendezvous location, and she, the jogging freak that she is, started jogging around her neighborhood that morning.
Sakura noticed a few houses away that several kids were shouting commands and playing the game of basketball, the sport she had a certain aversion for these days. She ran past a road that had intersected with the current street and slowed down, catching her breath. She sat on a nearby bench, right under a tree that left her in the shadows. Sakura looked at the kids playing with mild curiosity; she looked closely behind them and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Four boys, all of them around elementary ages, passed around the basketball on a two-on-two game, their parents watching from the front porch of the gigantic house. They were playing in the very driveway of Sasuke Uchiha's, and Sasuke himself was watching closely behind them. He had taken the job of coaching the little tykes basketball every morning on the weekends.
The hyperactive one, Konohamaru, got the ball as his partner Naoto passed it to him, and tried to dribble past the opposing couple, Tsubasa and Takumi. He performed a drive past Tsubasa but was blocked by Takumi.
"Yo, Konohamaru, right here!" shouted Naoto, signaling that he was open. The said boy ignored him and tried to jab his feet against Takumi, only to have the ball knocked out of his hands. Takumi back passed the ball to Tsubasa as he performed a jump shot, barely missing the basket.
"Alright, stop right there!" shouted Sasuke with an air of authority. He walked into the huge driveway, approaching the angry faced boy who was stomping his foot against the concrete. "Konohamaru, Naoto was open for you, you could've passed it to him."
Konohamaru mumbled something under his breath, "He'll drop it probably."
"Ah, so you don't trust him, huh?" asked Sasuke. Without waiting for an answer, he said, "Alright all of you, get into position, you're playing against me."
Confused looks on their faces, Sasuke passed the ball to Takumi, who started dribbling and then passing it to Tsubasa. He then passed it to Konohamaru, who then drove past Naoto to attempt a layup. He jumped slightly—only to have it easily blocked by Sasuke's hand, knocking the ball toward Naoto.
Konohamaru backed up as he took the ball away from Naoto, trying another layup, again the ball knocked off by Sasuke's hand.
"Kuuso!" cursed Konohamaru. He chased the ball and dribbled past the other three, this time going for a jump shot. He was blocked by Sasuke, and he attempted a fake shot while his whole team was open, then had it knocked out by Sasuke yet again.
"See?" said Sasuke. "You're good, Konohamaru, but basketball isn't about only you. Basketball is five guys, well four right now, playing as a team and you can't get a point if you don't cooperate. Now try to pass it. Trust them." He let Konohamaru get the ball.
"Hai," said the boy reluctantly. He started to dribble and passed it back to Takumi, who then passed it to Tsubasa. Tsubasa short passed it to Konohamaru, who approached near the basket. Sasuke started to block him.
"I said, pass it," said Sasuke with patience.
Konohamaru stopped his pace as he passed it back to Naoto, and as Sasuke tried to block him he passed it to Tsubasa who passed it to Takumi as Sasuke tried to block their passes. Takumi stepped through Sasuke luckily as he passed it to Konohamaru, who then made a perfect side shot. The other three whooped.
"That's basketball," said Sasuke as he tapped Konohamaru's head, smiling at his frowning face mixed with wonder, embarrassment, and uncertainty. They had been playing for thirty minutes so far; and the four gasped for oxygen as they collapsed onto the grassy lawn, sweat coming down their red faces. The parents came down the porch, three mothers and the principal of Konoha High School, also known as the grandfather of boy that had just learned how to pass.
"As expected, Sasuke," he complimented. "That's some community service and that'll wipe out your whole record of fights, tardiness, missing homework, and—"
"You mean this boy has been getting into all that trouble?" asked Naoto's mother. "I don't believe a word of it, Sarutobi-sensei, I have never seen a better moral mind in my life."
"Yes, I totally agree," said Tsubasa's mother. "You're sure you don't want any payment for this, Uchiha-san?"
"No, I couldn't," downplayed Sasuke. "And please call me Sasuke."
"Time to go home, Takumi," called his mother, smiling. The boy pouted and said, "I wanna live with Sasuke-nii-san over here. He's the best coach I've ever had in my life." The others agreed, the parents smiling amusedly.
"Guys," said Sasuke. "Let's get up or I won't—"
"Hai!" They all got up, including Konohamaru. Sarutobi gave the Uchiha prodigy an approving look as Konohamaru walked to him.
"Old man, I'm going to beat Sasuke-nii-chan one day"—he turned around to face the young Uchiha—"Can Naruto coach us with you too?" he asked.
"Probably, the dead last wakes up at like 5 o'clock…" Konohamaru smirked at the thought of Naruto and walked away from Sasuke's house with Sarutobi, all four and their guardians walking toward the bench where Sakura was sitting. She was staring at the raven haired teen, having an argument with her alter ego.
Did he just handle coaching those kids?
That's what I saw, honey, her inner self said.
But he was so nice! If he was coaching I'd think he would probably sit there and just tell them off—
That's not what I saw, her inner interrupted.
"Oh, hello there, Sakura," said Sarutobi, smiling. Sakura snapped out of her mental argument as she stood up rapidly.
"O-ohayo gozaiimasu, Sarutobi-sama!" She turned her gaze to the much wrinkled, old, but yet very nice principal of Konoha High as she bowed lamely. Konohamaru smirked at this.
"Hehhh, you're the o-neh-chan that Naruto had crush on a long time ago! The one that nearly beat the crap out of him too—the one that's really strong but doesn't like to admit it—"
Sakura bonked him in the head, forgetting for a moment that Sarutibi-sama was there, but the latter just chuckled, amused. "Now, Konohamaru, you don't want her after your tail, do you…Well see you around, Sakura." He nodded as he led the boy, who was clutching his head and grimacing slightly, the other way, away from her and Sasuke's house.
Having no reason to sit around anymore, she supposed the safest way to go was through Sasuke, since jogging past the Principal of her school sounded too disrespectful. She walked toward the driveway, fully expecting the Uchiha to say something that would probably annoy her or something that would just satisfy himself.
She braced herself for the comment, but it didn't come. Sakura frowned as she walked past his driveway, looking back if Sasuke had left. He didn't—he was looking at her blankly, and she gazed at him for several moments. She frowned again,
"You didn't say anything," she commented, turning back and then walking to the driveway.
"Hn."
"Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked.
"Do I have to every time I see you now?" asked Sasuke, raising his eyebrows.
"No…just got used to it over the years…" She shifted, trying to get rid of the weird tension between them, which usually never happened. Sakura started fidgeting, staring at her hands, resembling one of her best friends who always had a habit of doing that when she was nervous. "Um…Sasuke, I thought about the day when I shouted at you at the school field…and I know that the guys from Sand High were being jerks and annoying me, I got pissed off that you were protecting me and you just fought that guy right away. I know that you aren't beating up people just for fun, like you did in middle school."—she paused for a second—"I'm…partly sorry for shouting at you. Gomen."
Sasuke stood up, picking up the basketball on the concrete floor and passing it to her. She caught it just in time, looking at him with a confused face. Sakura didn't know why she apologized—she had every right to shout at him, which she did ever so often and too many to count, but something about that brotherly look when he taught Konohamaru basketball said something else about him—something about him that Sakura didn't get to witness at all in her life.
"Haruno, you're in the basketball team, ne?" asked Sasuke, expressionless. She nodded a yes.
"Well, let me see you playing it; you were looking at me"—Sakura shook her head as he said it; Sasuke smirked slightly—"oh right, you were looking at me coaching them; you gotta have something in basketball—Ibiki's acceptance rate is like zero practically..."
Sakura rolled her eyes, knowing that she didn't have anything in basketball. She approached toward the basket, the basketball in her hand.
"Hey, that's traveling," pointed out Sasuke lightly. "A very bad one at that."
Sakura stuck her tongue out, then looked toward the basket, and then risked a shot. It hit the ring and bounced out toward Sasuke. "You form is wrong, that's obvious. You're not focusing either."
"This isn't real basketball, Uchiha—"
"That's the spirit," he said as he made a basket easily.
A voice interrupted into the conversation from the front door. "TEME! My new Jordans came in this morning! Do you wanna check it out?! Or do you—"he suddenly stopped, his eyes locked to the pink haired girl that had, from the looks of it, been talking to Sasuke just a few seconds ago before he interrupted. "Why the hell is Sakura-chan here?"—he gasped—"Noooo. She said YES?"
"No, you idiot!" yelled Sakura, feeling as if she needed to throw a rock at him.
At that moment, Sasuke's dog, Kuuro, quickly got out through the open doorway between Naruto's legs, seizing the opportunity. The foxy boy fell as he lost balance, landing on the hard floor. "Ow! Kuuro, you teme, that wasn't nice!" He whined at the dog.
Sakura laughed as the black lab approached her rapidly, tails wagging, and jumped at her. She quickly grabbed its paws, and held them with ease as the dog tried to lick her face. Sasuke patted the dog sharply, saying, "Kuuro, be nice. Sit."
Kuuro jumped away from Sakura and sat quickly, its tail still in motion.
"Aww, kawaii!" squealed Sakura, patting him.
"So," said Naruto as he got up, clutching his back. "Why are you here, Sakura-chan?"
"I'll tell you why I'm here, Naruto," said Sakura sarcastically. "I'm here to fuck Sasuke and partly to kill you."
"Oh! Do you wanna see my new Jordans?!" he asked excitedly. He looked at Sakura, then said, "Oh, and you could actually hold up Kuuro? Man, you are strong—"he stopped as he saw a vein pop out of her head. She let go, saying "A.D.D.," and looked at her watch.
"Shannaro! I gotta go and meet Ino and the others, see you guys tomorrow—bye Kuuro"she turned around and ran to the street, and then jogged along the concrete surface.
"Why was she here again?" asked Naruto, patting Kuuro.
"She saw me coaching Konohamaru and the others this morning," replied Sasuke, his voice controlled.
"What did she say to you?"
"You don't need to know, dobe…"
She turned to a narrow alley, the ones that lead to the main street and the highway, also the ones that spooked her out often; Sakura wouldn't have taken this alley if she wasn't short on time, and it smelled bad, since the sewer system was flowing right under it. "Ugh."
Sakura entered a not so populated street—she would have to walk a couple blocks to reach where her friends had decided to meet. She passed a wall with violent graffiti written across, and she looked around at the city buildings that were wrecked with age—she fastened her pace. She crossed an empty road with no cars passing by. She anticipated her steps in that she had talked to Sasuke without killing each other—Sakura suddenly froze.
A black Nissan GT-R glided slowly toward her, barely making a sound. It sent cold chills down Sakura's spine. She cursed and turned around, not wanting to have another stupid fights; she then turned around the other way, the café where her friends would be right now just being a block away.
A man, in a ripped leather jacket and destroyed jeans got out with a dirty blond girl around her age from the back seat, the former carrying a mini bat. She could see through the shadowy glass that there was a certain man smirking at her from the driver's seat, not getting out yet. Beside him was his brother, Kankuro, cracking his neck twice before he moved on to his hand.
"Get her," said Temari, smirking. "It's too late to run now, girl."
The man ran toward her, brandishing the bat dangerously. He swung the bat toward Sakura's head as she ducked just in time. Sakura grabbed the man's arm and punched the man's stomach with her fist.
"Fuck," said the man as he dropped the bat. He grabbed Sakura's hair and pushed her to the concrete surface. He kicked her in the ribs next, then another one, until Sakura grabbed his leg and quickly stood up as she sprained his foot. The man yelped as Sakura kicked him between the legs, and then crushed the man's neck with her elbow. He fainted.
Temari ran after her as Sakura tried to run the other way. Temari was faster, and just as she was about to catch up, Sakura suddenly stopped, sidestepped and put her leg out as Temari tripped on it and landing square in the face. She kicked Temari's neck but the latter grabbed it, lifting if up and pushing her against the wall. Temari made a fist and aimed at Sakura's head, the latter moving her head quickly to the side.
Temari cursed as her fist met the hard concrete wall. The pink haired girl performed a half spin as she grabbed Temari's neck and pushed it hard against the wall. The dirty blond yelped as Sakura repeated the move twice before pushing her down to the ground. She finished Temari with a kick to the neck.
Sakura looked around at the car—the two men were gone from the seats—and turned around quickly. Temari's brother, Kankuro, had observed the fight from behind as Gaara approached her from the side. Kankuro took out a dagger, flipping it in the air before catching it with his other hand. He smirked as he leaped at the girl, dagger pointing sharply at her.
Sakura grabbed his arm just in time, but Kankuro reacted quickly and brought down the weapon against her wrist, the blade going through the soft flesh. Sakura yelped and let go of his arm, clutching her own hand.
--
"Oh my god!" exclaimed Ino, looking through the glass window. "Is that a gang jumping a girl?"
"Where?" asked Tenten, standing up. "They're jumping a girl? That's low—"
"And the girl looks like Sakura!" Ino shouted, looking at the dark street beside the café. The people around their table stared at her, all of them interrupted by her yell. "And there's that red-headed guy that annoyed us a week ago at Konoha High—"
"Are you sure?" asked Hinata, having brought the drinks, and trying to wtiness what Ino was seeing. CLANK. Hinata dropped the drinks, the clatter collaborating with the loud music inside the café. Her pale eyes suddenly got wide, since her vision was very above average and could see that the girl was indeed their good friend Sakura.
"Oh my god! C-call Neji or something—"started Tenten—
"No, call Sasuke," said Ino. "Or the police, dammit!"
"We don't know Sasuke's number, you pig!" said Tenten, getting her cellphone.
"I-I do," said Hinata, getting her phone out quickly. "Neji told me just in case something happened"—she speed dialed Sasuke as the trio all got out through the side door and running toward the dark street.
--
Sakura's both arms had been cut badly, and she clutched an injury near her ribs as she blocked a kick from Kankuro. "Damn you!' Sakura shouted as she kneed him hard as Kankuro went down. "Damn all of you!" She picked up the boy by his collar and then pushed him hard against the wall and grabbed his neck. She brought his face to her raised knee. Kankuro coughed up blood as Sakura brought him back up and put him in a chokehold. She was pissed off. Pissed off that they were following her for some reason; pissed off that they fought and tortured other people for their own satisfaction.
She pushed his head against the wall, nearly breaking his skull. Then Sakura felt a tap behind her.
"Hey, Pink," said a voice behind her, a voice she had heard before. Sakura turned around rapidly as Gaara smirked, a satisfied glint in his eyes. He brought up a handgun, freezing her in the spot.
"Dodge this."
BANG! Sakura felt a sickening pain rise up from her left arm as she fell limply to the concrete ground. She saw three people running toward her on the other side of the street—and Gaara picking up Temari and Kankuro dragging the knocked out man in pain. They quickly got into the car before rushing past her—toward the other direction.
Sakura saw it all as a slow motion as the three other girls crossed the empty street, her eyes blurring rapidly as she fainted; as she entered a pure darkness, a black hole that she could not avoid falling into…
--
CURRENT time
Sasuke clutched his head, getting up from the stands of clothes he had fallen into. He got rid of the shades at the same time, walking toward the two girls he was supposed to protect. The pink haired girl gasped, seeing what she had done, and realizing who she had pushed just a few seconds ago. "S-sasuke?"
"Hn, I forgot that you could fight," said Sasuke, not really wanting to reveal his identity.
"Oh my god! Sasuke!?" said Ino, with wide eyes. "So that Naruto being in the building means that your whole gang is there too?"
"No time to explain," grunted the raven. He walked toward the elevator. When he saw that the two girls hadn't moved a step, he turned around, saying, "What are you doing? I gotta get to the SNS building, this is urgent—"
"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" asked Sakura, still not believing what had happened. She looked at him from top to bottom, observing to see if it really was him. Sasuke sighed, running his hand through his hair.
"Don't you get it, Momo? Your friend Yamanaka's dad hired us so we can protect his nuclear system from other gangs that want to control it. And we got to get rid of Sand quick, and I know you remember them, right?" He nudged his head toward the elevator, its doors already open. The girls slowly took a step toward him, Sakura still overwhelmed by his appearance.
"I'll explain later," muttered Sasuke as he lightly pushed them into the elevator, pushing B4 button to get to the parking lot.
AN: Why does Sasuke act like that when they first meet Sakura? I'll say that he was a bit spoiled because his parents are alive and he has all the need in life. And he just did that so he can satisfy himself. Since then Sakura talks back at him and that's why he was attracted to her.
This chap kinda was rushed since I was busy these past weeks, so forgive me if my writing looks like it's losing its already tiny touch.
Next chap's more action. I'll try to make it short, this was kinda long. And yes Sakura got shot.