Sasori sighed lowly, rubbing the crane of his neck in an attempt to release the budding tension.
The touch stung, muscle pain festering all over his upper and lower back. That feeling reminding him again of its already prominent presence. Perhaps he's been overdoing it lately with himself. He was attempting to create his portfolio but he found all the pieces he's prepared for it rubbish. Being the perfectionist he is, he re-did all of them. Even going out of his way to make new ones yet, it still brought him no satisfaction. The position of sitting and leaning every hour was taking a toll on him, straining his back.
His ears perked up, picking up the awful sound deemed as music called dubstep. Remixes of party classics were blasting through speakers, ready to blast the roof off. That still doesn't explain why he's at this stupid party. Oh. Deidara.
Sasori eyed the careless pathetic excuse of an adult talking across the room, getting chummy with some girls in low cut clothing. He watched as Deidara's hand drifted to their tops, nearly groping one of their breasts. Horny bastard has never had any control whatsoever. Sasori shifted in the couch, recalling how he got dragged here. He was promised free food from his blonde friend but he should've known there was a catch. He grabbed a water bottle from the black circular table in front of him, watching as the others didn't look too pleased with the misinformation either.
"Which one of you morons thought it would be a great idea to throw a party out of nowhere?" Kakuzu spoke with a scowl, dressed in sweatpants paired with a black comfy sweater. It looked like he was dragged out of bed.
Kisame slung an arm around him, flashing a toothy smile. "Why are your panties in a twist, doc? It's a party, relax."
With two fingers, Kakuzu pinched his arm in retaliation of his comment making Kisame yelp. "Does Pein even know we're hosting one?"
"He does. The party is to welcome any freshman and convince them of joining the fraternity. So put your claws away boys and try to enjoy yourselves." Konan his adopted sister said, dangling beers of alcohol in between her fingers.
Kisame catches one, handing it over to Kakuzu who grunted in response. He cracked it open with his fingers and took a swing, passing a new one to Itachi who put a hand up against it.
"If Pein will not be joining us, then my presence isn't needed at this event. Make sure to clean up. Otherwise, good night. " With that, the raven-haired man stood up, gracefully walking out of the disco-filled room.
"Such a tight ass. I bet he's fixing that stupid essay of his. I saw him working on it since morning. Anyway, excuse me pansies. I'm about to look for a certain someone to bother this evening."
With Kisame leaving, it left a grumpy Kakuzu and uncaring Sasori together on opposite ends of the tiny red couch watching scenes of people grinding one another. It was...not pleasant to observe.
"Don't these things get established on orientation?"
"Beats me. I just came for free food."
Kakuzu sneered. "Tch. As expected from your laziness. In the kitchen, you can welcome yourself to greasy pizza and hot wings but careful. You might catch aids."
The redhead raised an eyebrow at his colleague hungrily drowning a beer like no tomorrow. What did he just say?
Before he could respond, he heard a loud crashing from opposite ends of the room halting the intensifying ear blasting dubstep and gasps left to fill the still air. Ugh. This happened at every party. Could people just breathe oxygen and not die for once?
"It's Deidara! He slipped and smashed his hand on the glass." One girl said from the left.
"Ahhh, Hidan! He fell from the last flight of stairs and seems to be unconscious! Someone call for help!" Another girl spoke from the right.
Kakuzu got up on the table, quickly taking action to calm the impressionable teenagers from having breakdowns at the sight of the two males face down on the ground. "Please don't be alarmed. Those two's bones are just as thick as their small brains. We will take care of it. The Akatsuki always helps a friend in need. Continue to enjoy the party and if you're interested in joining, Konan can register you."
Sighs of relief and chatter filled the air while the DJ yelled something to the crowd, lights, and music resuming once again. Sasori hid a smirk but the other male caught sight of it as he got down from the table slowly. "Smooth save."
"Yeah, well, those two dumbasses help attract boys who care more about their penis size than academics so it'd be a waste to freak the kids out. Now come on, we have to go to the market to make sure these two don't actually die."
With a cat-like yawn and slow ascending from the couch, Sasori went with Kakuzu, grateful to escape the stuffy air and bad music.
"Can we stop by the kitchen first?"
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"What am I supposed to do anyway?" Sakura asked, finding herself in the green uniform vest of the market and being surprisingly calm with what's happening. It's not like she was brought here against her will by this total stranger who pressured her to help him at this store.
Gaara, the culprit behind it, was across from her, re-stocking covered rice balls and melon desserts. "I'll take care of refilling and cleaning the shelves while you work as the cashier."
She fidgeted, shifting her feet. It was a habit she formed at a young age whenever she was nervous that seemed in-breakable now. "Don't you need proper training for this? How do you know I can work this?"
He sighed, standing up while flattening a large cardboard box like it was a slice of paper. Another reason why she didn't run, this guy could easily catch and snap her like a twig. Damn her for not taking physical education seriously.
He looked up at her with intense green orbs and dark eye bags. Or was that just the makeup? "Did I mistake you for being dumber than you look? I think you can handle a simple cash register."
Sakura mentally forget for a few minutes that this guy was a complete jerk. She sighed unhappily knowing she could easily operate the machinery. With a push of a button, the tray popped open, revealing sparse bills and unassorted coins. Sakura picked them out, placing them in its proper sections.
She knew she could just leave and not help but saw through the glass window how late and lonely the night was. Peering over her shoulder, she watched Gaara doing his job swiftly. Putting cans and packets of food where they belong in the aisles. Besides the scary first impression he left on her, never once has he tried to pry into her or her personal space.
Looking past the scary facade he puts up for intimidation and questionable clothing he wears, maybe he's not that bad. Perhaps she should give him another chance. At least make this evening less awkward than it already is.
"You, uhhhh, don't play music in your store?"
"I'd rather not listen to the garbage people call 'top 50s hits'."
"Ahahah…." Sakura mentally kicked herself. What was she thinking? This guy probably listens to death metal or something. She should stop, he obviously doesn't want to be bothered. Before she could stand in silence, he quickly added.
"But if you want to play that garbage, by all means, go for it. There's a cord there where you can plug your phone to play music."
She bit her lap, taken aback by his consideration. That was...nice of him and judging his reaction, she should forgo the music. She wasn't really in the mood anyway. She leaned on the counter using her arms for support to further their conversation.
"Why were you out so late anyway? Other people can mistake you for a creeper, you could get in a lot of trouble."
"I take most of my classes as late in the day as possible. I just happened to see you passing by and thought how useful you'd be tonight." He stood up to finish his sentence, grabbing another box. "Also. I don't care what other people think of me."
His latest statement lingered in the air punching Sakura inwardly at her shallowness sometimes. She frequently fretted of people's opinion of others, especially Ino in her youth, as well as their validation. She bit her lip, unsure how to continue the conversation but attempted again anyway.
"Why? Don't you get tired after at the mini-mart?"
Re-shelving water bottles in the sliding cooler, he replied. "I sleep in the day to avoid the crowded classrooms and people's shit."
"Wow. You're surprisingly just as emo as you look."
"If you couldn't tell, I'm not the best at human interaction. Plus most people are stupid."
Sakura knew he wasn't wrong there which is why she chose to read books but still found it ironic. "Funny then how you're working at a place like this."
"My father owns a company or trade of goods for convenience stores." Wiping his palms on his vest, he looked up at Sakura to respond. "My siblings and I happened to get roped in it by working at them. This one was ideal since it's where my brother and I are going to school."
"I guess, that makes sense."
"Plus...I thought I'd at least try to get used to talking to people. Where I used to live, it was just my siblings and I. My father was always busy, my older brother's a slob and my older sister is doable at times. She's just too much of a worry wart."
Sakura smiled at his comfortability to tell her these things so openly. She misunderstood him. "I bet it's nice having siblings."
Gaara stood up, showing that he's finished with the stocking. "Pffft, I guess. If you like constant nagging and annoying comments, sure, you'd love them. "
She giggled at the comment making Gaara widen his eyes a small fraction but quickly looking away with a small tint of blush. She had a cute laugh.
"Maybe. I've been an only child my whole life and my parents weren't really present in my life either so I wouldn't have minded the nagging. Probably would be more encouraging if I received them instead of locking myself up in my room all day."
Gaara took note of how her expression changed to something more gloomy as her head was cast down and her lips protrude out, the bottom quivering slightly. Oh no. She was on the verge of crying. For some odd reason, he'd always get annoyed with the sight of girls crying but looking at Sakura now made him want to reach out and comfort her. He coughed. "It's good to be independent early besides you weren't missing much as you can see."
Sakura grinned at the odd attempt at a compliment. But quickly shivered as the AC turned itself on right on top of her. Gaara took notice and cleared his throat, drawing green eyes to him.
"I should have a spare jacket in the back, I'll go grab it for you. Sorry. The store gets cold at nights to preserve the food."
"I'd appreciate it a lot, thanks."
Before he walked away completely, he was stopped at her comment with his back facing her. "Also, I think you're improving at the whole 'human interaction' thing. You're not as bad as the first time I met you, I judged you too quickly. I don't mind watching the store with you here if we get to talk more like this."
Gaara was afraid to face her, not wanting to show afraid she'd hear his heartbeat racing and blush consuming his face. He merely nodded before racing to the back to calm himself of this new feeling he believed to be called attraction. Was this his crush?
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Seconds later, Sakura watched as the sliding doors opened to reveal two males. One was wearing a face mask and had long dark covering his dark features while the other...was, well, to put it frankly, beautiful.
Sakura didn't know if she should properly welcome them but the one with the face mask quickly entered, stomping down the aisles before she could even think to mutter anything. The other one with shaggy red hair inspected the mart slowly before dragging his mahogany colored eyes to lock onto her. It became a staring contest except Sakura's eyebrow began twitching and she was starting to sweat in discomfort because a boy this beautiful has never glanced this long as her before and she didn't like it.
Before her blinking reflexes gave in, the dark haired one called him. "Sasori, should I get the cheaper ones or are they not as effective?"
The one named Sasori slowly took his eyes off of Sakura before blandly responding. "Kakuzu. Shouldn't you be asking the one who works here instead of me?"
Kakuzu popped his head from the aisles to squint ahead, completely missing the employee and nodding at the comment. "Yes, good idea." With that, he picked up most of the items from the medical isle and threw it on the counter in front of her.
"My friend needs stitches and the other just needs some medicine for headaches. What do you recommend for the cheapest of prices?"
"Uhm." Sakura's mind grew frantic. Should she call for Gaara? She couldn't really open her mouth up because the two men's stare at her was lethal and unforgiving. It made her draw her lips in tightly because, besides their rude stares, she also could not deny the other man was attractive as well with an air of mystery surrounding his mask. Was that the faint smell of cologne? Damn her and her sensitive nose. Still, Sakura has never worked well under pressure but quickly ignored it as she couldn't depend on Gaara right now, only herself.
She picked up one of the boxes, recalling information she read on a health manual. "None of these items seem adequate enough to give proper stitches but this alcohol and ibuprofen should do. We have cotton pads here too. I'd probably head to our clinic right now to get sterile gauze and laceration."
Kakuzu took in the information, nodding quietly while Sasori's stare at her grew more potent. Sakura fidgeted a bit, trying to remain calm and keep her armpit sweat under control. Did she remember to put deodorant on this morning?
"For headaches, it just depends on the type or what you're having. For really strong ones or migraines, I'd suggest this even if it's a bit more pricey."
Kakuzu nodded, eyes critical of every word Sakura spoke making her wobble a bit in doubt. "Simple enough. I shall take your insight on it and hope it works."
"If it doesn't work to your taste, you can always return it." With that, Sakura began scanning the items as Kakuzu watched the prices show up on the screen, eyes widening a bit as it totaled his estimate.
"The price is low."
She gave him a look over her glasses. "These mini marts are meant to be affordable for broke college students like ourselves. So...yes, the management of the prices are quite ideal."
A strange glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he looked away from the machinery to Sakura who wasn't aware of his change in tone and features. "How...nice."
Sasori watched her bagged the items, taking in how smooth her skin was and how slender her fingers are. It was rid of any wrinkles, calluses or bulging veins. Immaculate. He liked it. Her nails were shaped and unpolished, he thought how they'd look better with color but that was neither here nor there. He took note of how erect her shoulders were, the capsule and joints were fitting for a petite girl like herself. It gave off a frail vibe to her, screaming out that she was gentle and in need of holding. Like a doll. The girl's collar bone poked out seductively at him underneath the uniform she wore making Sasori tilt his head, wishing to see more of it and her. She'd make a great nude model for art class. He knew who to recommend to his art instructor the following morning.
His gaze flicked back at her face who was now staring at him but he could see she was having a hard time maintaining her levelness. He could tell by the way her eyes would strain beneath her glasses and lips quirked up awkwardly in a smile. Why was she sweating so hard? He blinked, giving into her but never once changing targets.
"Here's your receipt. I hope whoever you're helping is okay."
Kakuzu snorted. "They will be, alright. And they'll pay me back, that's for damn sure."
Sakura forced out a laugh because that sounded like a threat even if it wasn't aimed at her also, the other one was still staring at her. Did anyone bother telling this guy that it was incredibly rude to stare?
"Nice doing business with you. I most definitely will come again." The man named Kakuzu spoke before heading towards the automatic doors and exiting, his partner following behind him in a slow manner who finally ripped his gaze off of Sakura making her release the breath she didn't know she was holding, only to tighten her posture up uncomfortably again as he looked over at her one more time before nodding his head towards her in acknowledgment then walking out.
Sakura wasn't sure how much more her frail body could take.
Gaara finally returned, surprised to see a slumped Sakura who was rambling on 'how she survived' and felt 'mentally attacked'. It was going to be a long evening.
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Sakura returned back to her dorm with no avail to calm the angry Karin bickering at her for returning so late and complaining of her stench like a mother towards her daughter. Any other moment, Sakura would be loving the attention and uncharacteristic affection but was extremely drained at the long day she just experienced that she could barely mumble any words to Karin but nearly fainting as she reached the door.
"What the fuck Sakura?! You smell like shit. And why is your face so white?"
Sakura tossed her the notes in hopes to silence her then slipped into bed, stripping off her clothes and being in her underwear and not caring even though Karin was freaking out. Ignoring her, she knew the next day she had off she would most definitely be heading out to try some relaxing hiking trails off campus because that's what she needed right now.
Somewhere to escape, at least, far away from this University where she kept running into males.
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A new chapter! Hope you like this continuation. I apologize if it's too short, I was hoping it to be longer but didn't want to drag it out and start a new chapter yet. I also don't know what I'm going to write for the next Madara and Sakura encounter in class. It'll be a showdown.
Wonder who Sakura will meet in the woods? Why don't you drop a review and suggest which hot male I should write about next? Thanks again, you lovely mortals. It really means a lot to see your reviews, I love reading them and it gives me a lot of inspiration to update which is why I'm back with another chapter a DAY later! Think I broke my own record.
