Author's Note: I am not dead.

Okay, if you have read my profile, you will know that I've been really busy with "real life" , so I haven't had much time to write. I wanna be at least five chapters in front of you guys, and I took a break so I could write more so that I could get to chapter twelve, but when I started, I hit writers block, so I took a step back, and tried to write again a few days later when I got into a writing mood. I managed to get five per cent of chapter ten done... I know... Sorry. Life, and school, and work just got the better of me, and I had to drop everything writing related.

But, I promise I am gonna come back.

I'm sorta out of my writers block with Windswept, and I'm writing again. I'm going into my Christmas and end of year holiday's in eight days, so I'll have a lot of free time to worsen my shortsightedness by sitting at my desk in front of my computer and writing to my heart's content. So that means:

1. More chapters of Windswept. 2. The last two chapters of Beware the Trap of Love. 3. New one-shot stories.

I know it's not a Sunday, but I couldn't wait until Sunday to post this up, because I felt bad for not updating when I said that I would.

Anyway. This is one of my favorite chapters. Some SasuSaku fluff is in this chapter, and I just really love the chapter title. Doesn't it just have a good ring too it? haha. Okay lovelies. Please enjoy the sixth chapter of Windswept.

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Chapter Six: Mikoto and the Medicine Bottles

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Two weeks ago, if you told me I'd be sneaking out of school with Uchiha Sasuke, I would've laughed at you and called you crazy. However, that's what I was doing right now. Yes, I, Haruno Sakura, was sneaking out of school with Uchiha Sasuke. His hand gripping mine firmly as he dragged me out of the school building and into the carpark just a little ways to the right side of the school, pulling me towards — what I assume — his car, the cold air whipping around us and making goosebumps form on my uncovered skin. I wasn't sure where Sasuke wanted to take me, but I honestly didn't care. Uchiha Sasuke actually wanted to sneak out of school with me; it's definitely something that could make any girl shocked and excited.

I stood quietly next to him as he opened the passenger door of his black SS Ultimate Aero and ushered me in. Once I had my seatbelt on and Sasuke was in the car, he took off, driving out of the school like a freaking fast and the furious driver, I had to grip onto my leg to stop myself from shouting out at Sasuke to slow down.

I glanced out the window with a frown. We were heading in the opposite direction from my house and the school, towards the outskirts of town. I didn't really go down this area much, never really had a reason to, plus, this was the area for the "rich people" practically. Hinata lives a little ways from the school, about two blocks over, so she comes pretty close to this part of town; although her father doesn't really allow "outsiders" into his house, so I've only been to Hinata's once.

Sasuke took a right turn sharply, and I let out a yelp. I heard Sasuke chuckle next to me and I turned to glare at him. "Sasuke!" I yelped. "I thought I was going to fly right into the window!"

"Pay attention and you won't get surprised." he counted, smirking.

I folded my arms over my chest, my emerald orbs glaring at the super nice, super expensive, blue Mercedes-Benz in front of us. I turned my attention to Sasuke's car, my eyes scanning over the sleek black dashboard, the seats were leather and were also black, in fact, Sasuke's whole car was just black; but it suited him though. His family sure are loaded and very trustworthy of Sasuke if they bought him a car like the SS Ultimate Aero.

I glanced at Sasuke from the corner of my eye. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with a black jacket over it, he had on a pair of black jeans and his navy blue Chucks that seemed to be his favorite. There was no doubt that Sasuke was attractive, you'd have to be crazy to think otherwise; he just had this air about him that screamed "don't fuck with me" and honestly, it made him seem so much more attractive. Honestly, he looked like a God.

My mind flashed back to the fact that I now know he has Major Depressive Disorder. I wanted so badly to just ask him about it, or hint that I knew, but I couldn't. Sasuke and I may get along well, but we've only been friends for a little over a week, I didn't want to intrude on his personal life more than I already have; it's best if I just sit back and wait for answers to find me instead of going out and finding more questions.

I wanted to hug him then.

I wanted to reach over and hug him tightly, pressing my body against his and to feel his body on mine. I didn't want anything else at that moment; all I wanted was him and I knew, oh God, it was like being hit by a bus.

I wanted Uchiha Sasuke. I wanted everything that he had to offer me.

"Sakura, are you okay? You're staring at me like Naruto stares at Ramen." Sasuke's voice suddenly said.

I blushed a deep red and shook my head, looking away from his prying dark eyes. From the corner of my eye, I could see him smirking before he took one hand off the wheel and poked my cheek, making me turn my head towards him and glare.

"You were checking me out." he chuckled playfully. My face got darker. "Don't tell me you're falling for my good looks, now." he teased.

"I was not checking you out." I defended, intensifying my glare. "You're actually quite ugly, to be honest." there was no mistaking the amusement behind my voice.

"Oh? And who says you're any better?"

"What are you talking about, I'm beautiful." I boasted, a large smile on my face as I looked at Sasuke just in time to see him smirk and roll his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that." Sasuke mumbled, eyes back on the road.

"Are you saying I'm ugly?" I accused, frowning playfully. I put a hand over my heart and mocked a pout. "That's not a very nice thing to say to a girl."

Sasuke glanced at me, his obsidian orbs portraying his amusement. "Can't take what you dish, Sa-ku-ra?" he purred my name, making me lose track of my comeback for a moment.

"I can actually." I said, folding my arms and turning to look at the window.

Sasuke chuckled, but didn't say anything more, and we lapsed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the ride.

Five minutes later, we stopped in front of a field full of yellow and white daisies. The grass was kind of long and a lush green, the cool wind making the grass and flowers blow along with it. I let out a breath, taking off my seatbelt and pushing the car door open, my shoe-covered feet touching the ground. If there was more sunlight, the field would be even more breathtaking. I closed the door, walking forward, my hands brushing the flowers and the grass as I walked deeper into the field.

I glanced back at Sasuke, he was standing only a metre away from the car watching me with a content smirk on his face. I looked back ahead of me, admiring the endless grassland and the endless following of yellow and white daisies.

A soft, small gust of wind ruffled the flowers behind me, making them sway towards me. "This is my mothers favorite place." Sasuke said.

I whipped around to face him. A silent gasp left my parted lips. How'd he get here so fast? "It's beautiful." I mumbled, awed at the simple beauty.

"I remember coming here as a kid with my mother and brother. We'd spend hours just laying in the field talking and laughing." I smiled up at Sasuke as a gust of wind rolled by, making his hair follow it, his eyes were closed and a peaceful expression was on his face; he looked so at ease with everything around him, my need to hug him growing stronger and stronger.

Sasuke hardly talked about himself, so I sat down by his feet, falling back into the long grass and staring up at the sky. I could feel Sasuke's eye's on me, and not a second later, he was laying down next to me. I reached for his hand, taking it in mine and brushing the back of his knuckles with my thumb. I laid his hand on my stomach and began tracing his hand like I've done at least ten times this last week and a bit.

"I don't have many memories of my childhood." I mumbled distractedly, as I looked up at the darkening sky. "My parents have always worked; they're often away for weeks on end." I continued, feeling my mood darkening even more like the clouds rolling through the sky, drifting over everything and covering it darkly. "When I was young, my dad would always take me down to get ice cream and we'd go the zoo or we'd just hang out every weekend." I smiled. "My dad doesn't have any time for me at all anymore though."

I felt Sasuke squeezed my hand and I glanced over at him to see his beautiful obsidian eyes staring down at me heatedly. I fought back my blush. "My mother spends more time with me." Sasuke said. "Naruto always jokes about me being a 'mama's boy'." I giggled and Sasuke smirked. "But what am I suppose to be if she's the only one really there for me?"

Was Sasuke really telling me this? Was Uchiha Sasuke actually telling me something about himself?

I rolled over onto my side so I could face Sasuke properly, my hand still clasping his tightly. "If you want my opinion," I laughed, poking his cheek. "It's cute." I muttered, not embarrassed at all. "You're one of those good guys, Sasuke. You're not like those boys who disrespect everyone; you're good."

Sasuke frowned at me and I noticed he bit his lip. "I'm anything but good, Sakura."

"I find that very hard to believe." I muttered as the first drop of rain landed on Sasuke's nose. He blinked and brought his free hand up, to rub it away, but the drops of rain got heavier faster and soon, we found ourselves running towards his car, dripping wet. I laughed happily and Sasuke growled in annoyance.

I pulled the door open to Sasuke's car and jumped in, slamming the door closed and turning towards Sasuke who growled sexily, before gruffly telling me to put my seatbelt on as he did and started the car. Following his orders, I put my seatbelt on just in time as he drove off, the rain getting worse.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he turned a few corners, coming down a street full of fancy houses.

"We can't go to school wet and we have no spare clothes." Sasuke started angrily, annoyed at the pouring rain. "We're going to my place."

I gulped.

I was going to his house.

Where he lives.

Where his mother is.

I'm suppose to be at school, but I'm not and we're wet from the rain.

Oh my God, I'm going to Uchiha Sasuke's house!

"Y-y-your house?" I stuttered pathetically. I looked up at Sasuke as he nodded his head, my eyes drawn to his lips as the side of his mouth quirked in an amused smirk.

I turned back towards the window, watching as the houses got bigger and bigger, until finally we stopped in front of a huge mansion, gold gates blocking our entrance. Sasuke stopped and wound down his window, the wind blowing rain into the car. He yelled something and the next thing I knew, the huge, intimidating cold gates opened, a long driveway winding up to Sasuke hou — mansion. When we got to the top, Sasuke parked in a big garage, filled with other expensive cars. The garage doors closed and Sasuke turned off the car.

We got out and he led me to the door, opening it for me. I stepped in, not really sure what to do.

"Take off your shoes." Sasuke muttered huskily into my ear.

I felt a pleasant shiver run down my spine and I took off my combat boots, putting them next to Sasuke's shoes. I followed him down a long hallway, the walls filled with pictures of him and his family. Every couple of metres was a small cabinet that was simple, but elegant. They each had a vase of flowers that complemented each other perfectly on top.

We walked in silence, I did not dare utter a single word.

Sasuke turned a corner and I found myself in a large dining room, a long mahogany table in the middle of the area, chairs all around it. There was another door on the left side and I could hear noises coming from it; it's gotta be the kitchen. Sasuke told me to wait here and I nodded my head, watching his back as he disappeared around the corner.

I stood awkwardly, my eyes glancing around the large dining area. The walls were a plain white, simple, but along the edge just before the walls connected to the ceiling, a pattern went all around the area. I had seen the symbol on Sasuke's clothes a few times; it was in the shape of a fan, the top half red and the bottom half white. It must be like a family emblem or something. I noticed that there was another cabinet in the corner, and I walked towards it.

I picked up the picture frame and smiled down at it. A three or four year old Sasuke was being held in the arms of another child who looked around eight or nine years of age. He was smiling happy down at Sasuke who was in his arms, being held at the hip. It didn't take me long to deduce that it was Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi, that was holding Sasuke. They looked very happy.

I heard clattering in the kitchen, and rustles indicating that Sasuke was coming back. I quickly walked back to where he left me by the table and put my hands behind my back. A second later, Sasuke walked out, a gruff expression on his face, then a tall, dark-haired woman followed him out. She had long black hair that went to her mid-back and her skin was alabaster like Sasuke's. She wore a long-sleeved blue shirt and firm fitting jeans, she looked quite flustered as she walked.

Sasuke stood next to me — closer than he normally would — his arm brushing against mine. Our skin and clothes were still dripping wet and I held my head in shame. This is not a very good first impression.

Mrs Uchiha stood in front of us, a hand on her hip. I pursed my lips at Sasuke's mother, but when a huge grin spread across her face, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She clasped her hands together and looked up at Sasuke before she looked at me.

Mrs Uchiha held out her hand and I took it, thinking she was going to shake my hand and introduce herself, however, instead, she tugged me forward into a bone-crushing hug. The air was knocked out of my lungs as the excited woman almost lifted my feet off the ground. "I'm Uchiha Mikoto, you must be Haruno Sakura, it's such a pleasure to meet you dear. Oh dear, you're a bit damp." She added as an after thought.

Awkwardly, I started patting her shoulder until Sasuke glared his throat and Mikoto let go of me, sending a sheepish smile towards her son.

"Uchiha Sasuke, care to explain why you two are wet and not at school." Her face suddenly turned firm and Sasuke's normal 'I-don't-care' expression turned to one of utter guilt.

He opened his mouth to reply to her, but I beat him to it. "Actually, Mrs Uchiha, it's my fault. I wasn't having a very good morning and Sasuke was trying to cheer me up, but then it started raining." I babbled, feeling my neck grow hot. I fought to keep the blush from reaching my cheeks.

"Why didn't you just say so Sasu-chan!" she explained, before turning back towards me. "You can call me Mikoto dear. Now, I'll go make us some tea and Sasuke can go find you some dry clothes." She pushed me towards Sasuke and I stumbled awkwardly into his arms.

Without any response to his mother, Sasuke dragged me out of the dining room and into a large living area equipped with black leather couches, a small glass coffee table was in the middle and a large plasma screen T.V and a few other tables placed around the room that was filled with pictures.

As Sasuke and I began to walk up a set of stairs, I smirked at him. "You're looking a little annoyed, Sasu-chan." I said, poking his side.

Sasuke shot me a looked and I laughed, having to hold onto his arm so I wouldn't fall down the stairs. He glared at me, but the smirk on his face told me that he wasn't annoyed, but was in fact amused at my teases.

We stopped in front of one of five doors in another hallway and I gulped nervously. This was Sasuke's room. He turned the silver door handle and opened the door, stepping aside to let me in first. I took three tentative steps forward, and I found myself in a room the size of my living room.

Directly across from me was a door that let out into a balcony, it was closed, the blue drapes slightly covering it. I watched the heavy rain pour down onto the earth, the sky dark grey. Sasuke's walls were painted a navy blue, the soft plush carpets the same colour. In the middle to the right, was a big plasma screen television with a black leather sofa in front of it, two more single sofas were next to it. I noticed the xbox 360 and the playstation 3 and the stack upon stack of games in the corner.

There was a door to the right side of the room across from the black leather sofa and I guessed it was a walk-in-wardrobe. My gaze went to the left side of the room, a big king sized bed with black satin sheets stood out and I wanted to know if it was soft or not. Sasuke had a desk in the corner by the door and what looked to be a gap that led into a different part of his room.

He took my arm, practically dragging my weak form around the corner where a smaller area was. There was a closed door right across from me and two dressers against the right side of the wall. Sasuke walked towards them, opening the first drawer where he produced a button-up navy blue shirt and chucked it at me. I caught it and not a moment later, a pair of black pants were chucked my way.

"The bathrooms right through there." Sasuke said, nodding to the closed door.

"Okay." I mumbled, clutching his clothes to my chest. I walked towards the door and opened it, my breath catching in my throat.

Compared to Sasuke's dark coloured room, the bathroom was white marble. There was a big shower right next to me on the left, big glass doors surrounding it. There was a sink a little ways next to it, a massive mirror above it. Across the room at the corner was the toilet and then a massive bath was a little ways in front of it but closer to the wall.

"Wow.." I mumbled to myself.

I knew Sasuke was rich, but this is just, too much.

Feeling out-of-place, I closed the bathroom door behind me, and walked towards the middle, closer to the mirror. I looked myself over. My pink hair was damp and clinging to my skin, my face was pale and my lips were blue, and I was right, Karin did leave a bruise. My pink shirt was sticking to my body, making all my curves noticeable, my jeans felt tight on my body and I could feel water in my shoes.

I began to pull off my shirt, goose bumps forming on my skin. I found a blue towel to the side near the bath and I took hold of it and felt the soft plush feel through my fingers. For reasons I don't know, I brought it up to my nose and I was instantly met with the smell of Sasuke. I smiled, running it over my uncovered chest. I took off my bra so I could make sure I was dry, before I put it back on, not really caring at all that it was a little damp. I took the shirt Sasuke gave me and put my left arm in first, then my right before I buttoned it up.

It was huge on me.

I next took of my combat boots and emptied the water into the sink. I dried my feet and then took off my jeans. Man, it was hard to get your jeans off when they were wet and they clung to your skin like glue. Once they were off I put them over the sink with my shirt and began to dry my legs. I reached out for the pants Sasuke gave me, and noticed a pair of grey boxers.

Oh my.

I slipped them on, but they began to slip. I quickly pulled them up and searched for a band or something I could use.

I found a hair tie right at the back of the cabinet, behind about fifty medicine bottles that were half empty. I made sure I looked at every single one of them carefully, some of the brands becoming recognisable to me. There were many for MDD and I even found a few that treated PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Realizing I was taking too long, I tried the hair tie around a part of the pants and boxers, tightening them and stopping them from falling down. I ran the towel through my hair, kind of drying it, before I picked up my wet clothes and walked out of the bathroom.

I walked around the corner and gasped, jumping back around the corner. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were getting changed!" I exclaimed, my eyes closed, my heart racing and my face bright red. Oh my gosh, I just saw Uchiha Sasuke shirtless.

I heard a chuckle and I opened my eyes, slowly peaking around the corner, to look at Sasuke. He had a pair of black jeans on and a simple black t-shirt. His hair was relatively dry and still stuck up at the back. I bowed my head slightly in embarrassment before looking back up to meet Sasuke's eyes. "You should have told me you were getting changed!" I shouted, angry, still refusing to go around into the room.

Sasuke's smirk winded and he shrugged. "Hn."

I pointed at him accusingly. "You knew I was coming, didn't you? You did it on purpose!"

"What if I did?" Came his reply. "Are you going to come out? My Mum has tea."

"Ohh, tea!" I explained, completely forgetting that I was in Sasuke clothes I jumped out into his room. "Where can I put my wet clothes?" I asked, turning to look at Sasuke.

He was regarding me coolly, giving me this look I couldn't quite explain, it made me feel uncomfortable. It was as if he was undressing me with his eyes. I shifted, not really sure what I was supposed to do. No one has ever looked at me the way he's looking at me before. It was not even a moment later that he replied.

"You can just put it in the clothes hamper, my Mum can wash your clothes for you."

"Okay." I nodded, walking around the corner. I could feel his eyes on my the whole time. I quickly put my wet clothes into his clothes hamper, and walked back around.

I followed Sasuke back out of his room, I could practically feel the tension he was admitting as we walked back down the stairs. I kept peeking glances at him every couple of seconds from the corner of my eye, but he was looking straight ahead the whole time. When we finally made it back down into the dining room, Mikoto was sitting at the head of the table, a cup of tea in her hands. She turned around and smiled at us.

"Great, you have dry clothes on!" she said to me, "Would you like some tea?" I nodded my head and followed Sasuke over to the table. I took a seat next to Mikoto and Sasuke sat on her other side. She handed both of us a cup of steaming hot tea and I took a big mouthful.

We sat in silence for a moment, none of us saying anything. I felt so awkward. This was not the way I thought I'd be meeting Sasuke's mother. I had a whole different scenario planned out in my mind. I glanced at Sasuke over the rim of my cup to see him staring at me the same way he was staring at me when we were up in his room. That awkward feeling got ten times worse, as I felt my face heating up.

"So, Sakura, how'd you and Sasuke meet?" Mikoto asked me, and I thanked the heavens that someone had finally spoke.

"Ano.. well," I mumbled, not really sure what I was supposed to say. I looked up at Sasuke for help and he sighed.

"You know that party I went to with Naruto?" Sasuke asked his mother and when she nodded, he continued. "We met there and I walked her home."

Mikoto smiled at her son. Not just any smile. It was the type of smile that showed every little bit of love a mother could hold for her son. I looked down at my empty cup and let a small smile form on my face. Sasuke sure had it real lucky. His mother had absolute love for her son. So much that I couldn't even begin to comprehend how far it stretched. Whatever happened to these people, I had no doubt in my mind that Mikoto did everything in her power to stop her kids from getting hurt and even though she may not have kept even a scratch off them, her love and determination would have kept them alive.

"Well that's nice of you, Sasu-chan." Mikoto said, smiling at Sasuke.

I smirked at Sasuke. "Yeah, Sasu-chan." I laughed when Mikoto giggled.

Sasuke growled at me, and put his empty cup of tea on the table and pushed it away from him, rather calmly, before he leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. "Che." he scoffed, and I noticed the back of his neck turning a slight red. Mikoto laughed at her son and turned towards me.

"I hope my son hasn't been too rude towards you, Sakura. Sasuke can be rather irritable sometimes."

Yeah, he has MDD, I wouldn't expect anything less. I thought. I looked at Sasuke as I responded to Mikoto's question. "He's been very well-behaved."

"Can you not talk about be like I'm not here?" Sasuke mumbled.

"Oh hush, Sasuke. You love it." Mikoto said, kicking Sasuke underneath the table. I laughed as Sasuke sent his mother a blank look and she smiled, turning back towards me.

"That's good then." she nodded. "I give you permission to slap him if he's ever rude to you." she leaned forward in her seat, motioning for me to move closer. I did so, amused at how Mikoto acted so casually around me. It was like she was totally at ease, while I was internally having a heart attack. I was seriously afraid I'd say or do something wrong and one of the most powerful women in Japan would hate me. "Sasuke is actually as soft as a kitten."

I laughed. Not just any laugh, it was a throw-your-head-back laugh. I wiped a tear away from my eye and smiled up at Mikoto who was smirking at me. "I'll be sure to remember that."

We spent the next twenty minutes just talking about all kinds of things. Mikoto was actually a very funny woman. Some of the things she said made me want to die from laughter. Sasuke was not very amused at some of the things his mother was saying, but other times he just kept his eyes on me. I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable laughing.

When twelve thirty came around, Mikoto waved us goodbye, as we needed to get back to school. She made Sasuke promise that he'd bring me over more often and honestly, I didn't object to that, and surprisingly, neither did Sasuke.

As we were driving back to school, I reached down and dug my phone out of my messenger bag that I had left in Sasuke's car. When I turned my phone on, I swore out loud. Ino, TenTen and Hinata had left me at least hundred missed calls and messages between them. Most was just about where I was and if I was okay. I knew it was lunch now, so I decided to call Ino.

She answered after the second ring.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP YOUR PHONE FOREHEAD?! YOU'VE HAD US WORRIED SICK! WE WERE JUST THINKING ABOUT CALLING YOUR FATHER!" Ino screamed into the phone so loudly that I had to pull it away from my ear. Sasuke gave a chuckle and smirked at me. I was just about to bring the phone back to my ear and to tell Ino I was coming back to school now, but Sasuke shook his head, silently asking me for my phone.

Unsure, I handed my phone to Sasuke and watched him as he smirked at me with an amused look.

"Yamanaka. Stop yelling." He ordered, his voice full of the same authority that I had only heard, personally, three times. "Sakura is fine, she's with me... No... Yes... We're almost there.. Okay..." he pressed the end button on my phone and gave it back to me. I slipped it back into my bag and stared ahead at the wet road.

"You're mother is really nice." I said, breaking the silence that had settled between us. "She's very energetic."

"Try living with her." Sasuke muttered. "She can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

I looked down at my hands that were resting in my lap and almost died when I realized I was wearing Sasuke's clothes. I facepalmed, my face blaring with heat. "Ino is gonna murder you.." I whispered, dread filling me.

"What?"

I looked over at Sasuke and glared at him, my face getting redder. "I said, Ino is gonna murder you. She's going to take one look at me, realize I'm in your clothes, then think the worst and attack you." I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air. "And Ino never plays fair. She'll scratch your eyes out with those damn nails of hers.." I shivered.

Sasuke chuckled at me as he pulled into the school car park. "Don't worry about it." he said calmly, turning off his car and reaching for his school bag from in the back seat. He pushed the door open and got out, slinging his bag over his shoulder. I followed his example and got out, putting my messenger bag across my chest. I had put my shoes back on, and I was lucky they were black because they matched the colour of the pants Sasuke let me borrow.

"Don't worry about it? How can I not worry about it?" I questioned, chasing after Sasuke who was taking long strides towards the school. Sasuke didn't say anything, just slowed his pace slightly so he could walk next to me as we blended in with the people walking the halls. "Sasuke." I grumbled as he took my arm, veering us towards the cafeteria.

"Just relax Sa-ku-ra." He practically purred into my ear as he pushed the doors to the cafeteria open, pulling me gently towards my table. Mikoto had made us eat lunch before we left, so I wasn't hungry at all. "Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru are sitting with them today, hopefully they'll be distracted enough that they won't notice."

"What about the rest of the day?" I asked, and I glanced the other way, frowning when I saw Karin glaring at me heatedly.

"You don't have any classes with them, right? Just avoid them." he shrugged.

I gulped as we made it to the table. Sasuke pushed me down to sit next to Naruto who was across from Hinata and Sasuke sat next to me, effectively blocking me from escaping. I was pushed up against Naruto's shoulder, and Sasuke's shoulder was pressed against mine.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, his arm going around me. He shoved his fist into Sasuke's shoulder, grinning at him broadly. "Teme! It's good to have you guys back at school!"

"Sakura!" TenTen shouted. I turned my head away from Naruto and looked right across from me. She was sitting next to Neji and Ino. "You had us so worried!" she continued, beginning to babble. "We were gonna call your dad just as you rang Ino!"

I gave a nervous laugh. "It's a long story, I'll tell you later." I said, running a hand through my still damp hair.

"Forehead, you nearly gave Hinata a heart attack." Ino reprimanded, glaring at me."You know how much she worries."

"I-I was fine, Sa-Sakura" Hinata mumbled when Naruto put an arm around her shoulders.

"Stop feeling up my cousin, Naruto." I heard Neji growl.

I didn't know the guy very well, and I knew that he was Hinata's cousin, but they weren't really close. He and his parents had been living with Hinata for a little of three day's now and they seemed to have formed a little bond together. I don't really have much to do with Neji, so it's weird to hear him talk. I glanced over at Shikamaru who was sitting boredly next to Ino and across from Hinata. He rarely said anything either and when he did, it was him complaining.

Naruto held up his arms, leaning slightly away from Hinata. "Okay, okay. Calm down, Neji." Naruto laughed nervously.

Sasuke reached behind me and slapped Naruto on the back of head, then his hand retreated, brushing against my lower back. The electrocuted feeling washed through me like a freaking wave, almost making me fall backward. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, but his attention was placed firmly on TenTen who was talking about something I didn't really care about.

I looked at Sasuke again and caught his eye, he smirked at me and I tried to smile back but I think all I got was a lopsided smirk, my heart was just pounding so hard I thought everyone could hear it. I had to tear my eyes away from Sasuke then, or I might just lean in and freaking kiss him.

"I hope I didn't miss anything too important." I said, my attention focused on TenTen who was sitting in front of me, sending me one of those looks that I kept trying to ignore.

"N-No, you didn't." Hinata stuttered. "But i-it was amusing to wa-watch Ino p-p-panicking." she giggled.

"I so was NOT panicking!" she defended herself. "I was simply worrying for my best friend."

I laughed. "That's a lie, Pig. You never just worry." I said, smiling over at my longtime best friend.

"Haha, Sakura's right!" TenTen shouted, before elbowing Neji. "One time, she left her bag on the bus when we went shopping. Total mess she was."

"I don't understand why girls carry bags.." Naruto wondered out loud. "Pockets are better than carting around that junk." he said, distantly glaring down at Ino's clutch purse.

"Shut up Naruto." I was surprised it was Shikamaru who spoke. "They're women, don't question it." he muttered boredly.

Neji chuckled as Ino smacked Shikamaru over the head with her bag, but instantly regretted it when TenTen punched him in the shoulder, almost making him fall over. Naruto slapped his hands down on the table and let out a laugh that echoed over the whole cafeteria, causing some people took look over at us. Sasuke leaned over me again and whacked Naruto on the back of the head again, causing the blonde to tip forward in his seat, clutching his head.

"Owwwe Teme!" Naruto pouted, looking over at me with puppy dog eyes.

I melted at the cuteness.

I slapped Sasuke on the back of the head. "Don't hit Naruto so hard!" I reprimanded.

"Yeah! listen to Sakura-chan!"

"He's already lost enough brain cells." I smirked.

Sasuke chuckled and so did Neji and Shikamaru let out a cough that sounded vaguely like a strangled 'heh' while TenTen and Ino sent wide grins my way. Hinata was rubbing a pouting Naruto's back, telling him that she didn't think he was stupid.

The rest of the lunch hour was filled with heaps of laughing and many jokes, and I was thankful no one said anything about my clothes. When the bell went and everyone went their separate ways, I found myself smiling as I walked into class and taking a seat in the back row.

Even though the day didn't start off the best, it sure as hell didn't get worse.

The only thing I'll have to worry about doing now, is finding a way to talk to Mikoto again without Sasuke knowing that I did so. I needed to ask her a few questions that I knew she could only answer. The only problem with that was finding a way to talk to her.

—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—

Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Tell me your thoughts about anything in a review - it'd be much appreciated. I'll try to reply to any question as fast as I can, or explain in the AN next chapter.

Ja ne, Lovelies.