KisaLycorsis-san: Well, you got your wish--er, order-- Temari-chan! You and Shikamaru--in fact, pretty much everyone-- have a much bigger part in this chapter.

Temari: Good. Now shine my shoes while I read the disclaimer!

KisaLycorsis-san: Yes ma'am! -gets down on hands and knees-

Temari: KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto. All she has is some manga, the first season, some Shonen Jump magazines, and a pretty poster of Team 7 and Iruka.

KisaLycorsis-san: I love it, too! Though my sister tried to rip it down so its not on the wall at the moment--

Temari: Shut up and shine, slave, shine!

KisaLycorsis-san: TT Yes, ma'am!

"You know…we're not so different." I said softly. "You and me. My story's not far from yours."

Ino glanced at me in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well….my mom is actually my aunt. My real mother died giving birth to me. And my dad…he's my uncle. My real dad was a drug addict who bailed when my mom told him she was pregnant. She was only sixteen, and really petite. My aunt said that she thought that her sister might have trouble baring me, but she'd decided firmly against a C-section. So I never really knew my parents. Still, your story is worse than mine because I have my aunt and uncle, and my…brother. You have no one except Itachi-sensei." I was shocked myself--I'd never revealed so much about myself to anyone, much less people I just met. But for some reason, when I saw that look in Sasuke's eyes, I--I just wanted to let him know I understood, if just a little bit.

No one spoke for several moments. I could feel all their gazes on me, but I didn't look up. I'd immediately stared down at the desk after my confession, and I never wanted to lift my eyes again. Kami, I was so stupid. Like Sasuke's gonna care about my life. I was an idiot.

"I'm…sorry to hear that." My head whipped up at the soft reply, and I stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. He'd--he'd actually--?! I shook my head and smiled. "Like I said, I've got it better than you. No need to be sorry."

"Wow. You're a lot like me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted happily. Why happily? 'Cause he's always happy. Almost always, anyways. "I never knew my mother! My dad's the only one I've got. He says that my mom died giving birth to me, too! Isn't that weird?! I don't have any siblings, though."

"N-naruto…." I stared at him. He…he'd lost his mother too? Kami….why was he so damn cheerful? "Why're you so damn cheerful?!" I asked aloud. "How can you be so….cool about it?!"

He seemed surprised, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess I've just come to terms with it. I mean, I've still got my dad. He's so awesome! He says that my mom asked that he give me her last name, because she was the last of her clan. My dad is the last too, but I've decided to keep my mom's last name. So that I can remember her every time I say my own, ya know?"

I chuckled softly and stood quite suddenly, giving him a hug just like Hinata's. "Arigato, Naruto." I said, then let go of him. He flushed and grinned, laughing nervously. "You're not gonna cry, are you?" He asked anxiously, and I shook my head. "Nope. Now…..How's it going with Hinata?" I whispered in his ear, and he blushed.

"W-well….I've never really noticed her and all but--oof!!" I decked him in the head and he fell to the ground. "Baka! Whisper!! Don't shout!!" I shrieked, stomping slightly on his back.

"What's going--? Never mind, I don't want to know." Perv-- I mean, Kakashi-sensei walked inside the room and went to his desk, shaking his head. I laughed, then grabbed Naruto and dragged him to his seat, plunking him down in it. "Don't worry Naruto, those wounds aren't serious! The bleeding should stop in a couple of hours!"

"Women…troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, lifting his head slightly from the desk. "Why do you women always hit us men? It's so….so…"

"Troublesome?" Temari supplied dryly. "Yes." Shikamaru answered innocently, then turned his back on the girl and asked the boy called Choji a question dealing with shogi or something like that.

"And what do you mean, 'men'?" Temari continued. "There are no men in here besides Kakashi-sensei. You're boys."

"I hear that!" Ino sniggered as Shikamaru scowled at Temari. Kakashi-sensei just rolled his eye and said, "Can anyone remember where we left off at Friday?"

Surprisingly, Ino's hand went up. "Um, weren't we discussing the Great Konoha War?"

"Correct. And can you also tell me what caused the war?"

"Eh…." Ino scratched her head nervously and glanced at Shikamaru. "Eh Shika, do you know?"

Shikamaru lifted his head and mumbled something unintelligible. Kakashi-sensei said, "Correct." I raised my eyebrow. Maybe he could understand, but we sure couldn't.

The class carried on, but I didn't pay attention at all. I was too busy getting shivers down my back. And why? Because Sasuke was drilling a hole into the back of my head. With his piercing black eyes; not a real drill, of course.

Yes, I have many chuckles with my witty remarks. Oh ho ho. Funn-ay. Yes…..hilarious. Back to the story.

I was surprised to hear the bell ring. I mean, the time had passed so quickly, even with the staring of a certain Uchiha. I stood with a sigh and once again slung my bag over my shoulder. What a drag….

"Yay, lunch time! Yahoo!" Naruto crowed, standing on his chair. Kiba tugged on his arm. "Come on, idiot, we gotta get to the front of the line!"

"Oh, right!" Naruto turned to me apologetically. "Sakura-chan, could you walk with Hinata-chan? We need to get there fast!"

I smirked. "Whatever. Go." He ran off with a wild whoop, followed by Kiba. Hinata came up beside me and smiled after them. "I-I'm glad they're getting a-along. U-usually, they butt h-heads."

"Yeah, somehow I knew that. Say Hinata," I turned to her with a frown. "Why do you stutter so much? I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it, but you really should learn to stop it. I mean, Naruto needs a strong person, and you need to learn to stick up for yourself. Who's gonna hit him when he gets out of hand and acts stupid?"

She sighed. "I know. I-I just--I'm not very…confident. A-about myself, I mean."

"Well we're gonna fix that! To help you become more assertive, I will request my girls' help in this matter of extreme importance!" I turned to Ino and grinned. "You, Temari, and Tenten. We shall turn Hinata into one of us!" I laughed evilly, my nose pointed in the air.

Temari chuckled. "Poor Hinata. I'm in."

"Yeah Hinata, you're too cool to be uncool! But then again, being uncool is cool, so does that mean that we'd be making you uncool? I mean, but you're already cool, so would we be hurting your coolness? But if we made you uncool, you would be cool, or uncool. Then again--" Ino cut Tenten off with a smack on her own forehead. "Geez Ten-chan, you're making me confused! Let's just help Hinata out, kay?"

Tenten grinned sheepishly and laughed. "Sorry, Ino. Okay, we'll help you out, Hinata-chan. So that you-know-who will want you so bad he'll pull you into a dark, secluded corner and kiss you madly, and his passionate lips will then--" This time Ino slapped Tenten on the forehead, pausing her tirade. "Seriously Tenten, you say some weird shit sometimes."

"Owwie…" Tenten rubbed her forehead, but grinned all the same. "Yeah, but that's why I'm so loveable."

"Well, I knew there must be a reason Neji loves you. You're everything he's not….including crazy, insane, mad, and you probably look better in a skirt."

"Neji? That guy that has the same eyes as Hinata? You guys are dating?" I asked, feeling left out of the conversation.

"Yeah. H-he's my cousin." Hinanta replied. Tenten just blushed, hiding her face behind her hands and peeking from between her fingers. "Don't talk about it! You know Neji doesn't want Lee to know!"

"Lee? Why not?" Again, out of the loop.

"Because Lee has a gigantic mouth. And his family's good friends with Hinata and Neji's. And Hinata's dad would kill Neji if he found out he was dating Tenten. And even though Lee is sweet and all, he wouldn't be able to keep said mouth closed." Ino supplied conspiratorially, and I nodded and said, "Right. So…no telling Lee?"

"Exactly! Now, let's get to the cafeteria. I'm freakin' starving!" As we walked, laughing and yapping about absolutely nothing, I thought that this was the best school ever. In my old one, I'd only had two friends; Sugo and Shii. They're both guys, and though we had nothing in common whatsoever, I kinda miss them. But all the cool people I'd met so far were just so-so COOL! And it made me feel like I was actually part of a group, ya know?

When we reached our destination, I was shocked at the immenseness of the room. My old school's cafeteria was about one-fourth the size of this one!! And as we passed the tables, I saw that the food looked a hell of a lot better. I could actually identify most of what they were eating!

Ino stopped at an extra large table and plopped into a seat. "Pull up a chair, Sakura-chan! What's mine is yours!"

"I wasn't aware it was yours, Ino." Temari commented with a smirk as she sat on the other side of Ino.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Temari-chan! For instance, I am…….the most beautiful girl in the whole school!"

"Wrong!" Naruto grinned as he unloaded his arms onto the table. My jaw dropped at the awesome amount of food he'd bought. Just how rich were these people?! I'd brought enough money for a Ho-Ho.

"Oh yeah?! And just WHO do you think is the most beautiful girl in the whole school?!" Ino challenged the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmm…..Hinata-chan!"

The girl fell backwards in her chair with a squeak of surprise. As everyone laughed, Naruto jumped up and ran around to her. "Hey, she fainted! Hinata, Hinata, are you okay?! Speak to me, Hinata!!" He took her by the shoulders and shook her ferociously. "Hinata, wake up!!"

She regained consciousness and squinted up at him. "N-naruto-kun…? Eep!" She shrieked and sat up violently, knocking into his forehead and sending him flying backwards. (AN: Just like in that one episode! Hee, I love that one…)

I shook my head at them in consternation. "You people are crazy."

"But that's why you love us, right?" Kiba took the seat on the other side of Ino, dumping yet another huge load of food on the table. My eye twitched as I asked, "How'd you guys get so much food?"

"Oh, my dad's on the school board, so we get free eats. And we share the good fortune!" Naruto grinned at me, and I laughed. Sasuke sat beside me, and I scowled, then shrugged it off. Idiot…

"So do you live with Itachi-sensei?" I asked as I grabbed a Twinkie. Sasuke's eyebrows lifted, as if he hadn't been expecting the question. I unwrapped the dessert and stuffed it in my mouth. Through a mouthful of Twinkie goodness, I said, "Wew? Boo doo?"

"What?" He asked, and I made a face at him. "Boo doo wib wid 'or bwudda?" I repeated insistently, and swallowed.

"Don't talk with your mouthful. Now repeat your question."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he grimaced. "I said, do you live with your brother?"

"What's it to you? Mind your own business!" He said with a frown. I rolled my eyes. "Aw c'mon, I've already told you so much about my family, you can't even tell me one little thing?!"

"For Kami's sake, just tell her, Sasuke!" Neji half-shouted, and I looked at him in surprise. Well, so Neji, Tenten's boyfriend, is actually a human being with a voice box. Imagine that. "Arigato, Neji….So tell me already, ya antisocial teme!"

Naruto, who'd just gotten up and apologized to Hinata (I mean seriously, why would he apologize? For complimenting her?), said, "Dude, you're such an idiot! Sasuke lives in an apartment by himself; it's right next to my favorite restaurant, Ichiraku's ramen stand!" Hmph, so that's why he'd said ramen, like, twice already today.

"Baka, why'd you tell her that?!" Sasuke scowled at his best friend. I just smiled. "Arigato, Naruto….so you DON'T live with your brother. I wish I lived by myself. I mean, I love my mom and all, but she can be a little….eccentric. And my dad.." I shook my head. "My dad is completely nuts. He's an artist, and he spends all his time in his 'office', only coming out for bathroom breaks and mealtimes."

"An artist?! Wow, are you any good?!" Tenten asked as she unconsciously squeezed Neji's hand.

I let out a bark of laughter that wasn't really humorous. "Me?! No, no, I'm much better at school and danc--" I stopped abruptly in horror. Ah, shit.

"Dancing? You dance?" Ino asked with stars in her eyes. I shook my head. "No, no, I used to dance. But that was years ago, I haven't done it in a long --long time." Yeah, since Daisuke left.

"Who's Daisuke?" Kiba asked confusedly, and I jumped in shock. What the hell, could he read minds?! It was only when I saw the looks on the other's faces that I realized that I must have said the last sentence aloud. I flushed. "W-well, Daisuke's my older brother. The one in my picture. He's nineteen, and he left home three years ago."

"He ran away?! Wait, is he your real brother, or your cousin?!" Ino asked.

"My real brother. He's three years older than me, but he doesn't really remember mom and dad either. And he never got along with my aunt and uncle. So one day, a week after I turned thirteen, he just snapped. He packed his bags and ran off. Actually, I'm not even sure where he is now. I haven't seen him since he left." Again, I'd said too much. Why did I always feel the need to talk to these people?

Hinata looked suspiciously like she had tears in her eyes. "That-that's so s-s-sad!" Okay, maybe they weretears.

"It's not so bad, Hinata-chan." I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll find him again someday. It's our fate."

Sasuke was staring at me strangely, so I sent him a smirk, then grabbed another Twinkie.

"So what class do we have next?" I asked to cover up the silence.

"Gym. It's great, we get to run off some energy and kick each other's ass at the same time!" Kiba exclaimed, and I sweat dropped at the….er…earnestness of his answer. "Right…"

"Anko-sensei will probably already have a uniform for you." Temari said with certainty. "She's creepy like that."

"At least you don't have Gai-sensei!" Shikamaru groaned. "He's mad!"

"GAI-SENSEI IS THE BEST TEACHER EVER!!" Lee jumped into the conversation with fire in his eyes. "HE IS SO YOUTHFUL! YOUTHFUL, YOUTHFUL, YOUTHFUL!"

"Lee worships Gai-sensei." Neji explained at the confused look on my face. "They're a lot alike."

"Great….can't wait for gym!" I laughed nervously…….gym was gonna suck.

Chapter 8 is finite! Grah, that took awhile….phew!

Since you guys are so cool, I'm adding an extra to this chapter. This is just something I thought of while writing the scene in Itachi's classroom, but there was really no room in the original story for it. Still in Sakura's POV, btw. Enjoy.

Itachi-sensei loomed over his younger brother. "Sasuke, you cannot perform that calculation. Because you lack-" His hand whipped into his pocket and withdrew- "-a scientific calculator!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I think I did both.