Sorry updates have been so sketchy; I finished up tech/show week for my school's musical so now my schedule is beautifully free.

Now let's get down to business.


Contact: Sakura

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You did a wonderful job in the musical. Was it enjoyable?

Thanks, Itachi! Yeah, it was fun..but really stressful. I was definitely sacrificing sleep for homework.

Don't you still have A+'s in every class?

Well..yeah…but I need to make sure it stays that way!

You could always try enjoying your free time.

Why, are you offering? (:

After basketball season, I'd be more than happy.


Since Konoha Academy had progressed through the area's basketball league so quickly, they only had one more game in January before their undefeated season was finished. And the best part about this game was that at least three local sports television channels had shown up to film the game live. The Poms team was thrilled; it meant more publicity and just one more thing they had over their rival school: Sound Academy.

Sound was not known for their stellar academics or kind-mannered students, but for more of the opposite. They had the most disciplinary problems and lowest standardized test scores in the entire state, so their funding had gone way down, only making their students more frustrated. For the past few years, Konoha has won every game against them, but that sure as hell didn't mean it was easy. They played violently and erratically, and were definitely not above playing dirty.

Sakura, dressed in the dark green and white cheerleader-like uniform of the Pom squad, looked at the crowds in the stands nervously, eyes focusing on the rowdy Sound kids whooping and hollering towards the court (where the teams were warming up) even before the game had started. Sound's star player, a thickly muscled Zaku Abumi, was rumored to do endless amounts of steroids, but had never been caught. Their next best player was a silently menacing Dosu Kinata, practically glaring down every member of Konoha's starting players from his impressive stance.

In most of these games, Konoha's worst weakness was height.

Shisui and Itachi Uchiha were the star players, and though their genes provided excellent athletic ability and form, their height was pretty average compared to some of the Sound players standing around 6 feet tall. That was why Sakura's heart was beating faster than normal and her cheeks flushed with a strong mix of nerves and anticipation.

The only good thing about the game was that since Sasuke wasn't on the starting Varsity team, he sat on the bench far from where she stood, making it very easy to avoid contact. (Though their eyes met a few times, much to her chagrin)

However, she didn't have more time to dwell on it, because the buzzer sounded and the teams lined up to start. She held her breath as the boys stared each other down, not ignoring the smirk that Zaku sent Itachi before they leapt into motion.

Now, if there was anything Sakura had learned about High School sports her freshman year, it was that people took them way more seriously than was probably healthy. Football usually got all the glory, but when it came to intensity (and sweat), basketball reigned supreme. Without helmets or bulky uniforms, the determined expressions and glistening muscles were on full display, and the intricate dance between players was both powerful and hypnotizing. Every player had their different style, yet still managed to work together in teams.

She also couldn't ignore that most of the appeal (for her) was watching guys in their physical prime attack the ball and sprint across the gym floor. All the Pom routines were simple during the game, so her full attention could be on the game. And even though she tried to watch the entire thing, her attention kept flitting over to a familiar head of shaggy black hair.

Itachi always moved like a panther on the hunt, every motion sleek and connected. He could be a dancer if he wanted; he glided around his slower opponents. But Sound's team was bulky and powerful in contrast, making an interesting juxtaposition on the court.

By halftime, the score was firmly tied at 20-20, with neither team's resolve wavering. Since everyone was milling about, Sakura used that opportunity to run over to Itachi and Shisui, who were ferociously gulping down water on one of the side benches.

"You guys are doing great so far," she grinned, hoping to instill them with enough confidence to play harder the second half. Shisui shot her a tired smirk, but Itachi merely nodded in recognition, eyes focused on his water bottle in a meditative-like trance.

"You checking me out, huh, Sakura?" the bolder of the two remarked, looking over her spandex-clad body. She frowned slightly.

"Obviously, Shisui. You're the only one I have eyes for these days," she sarcastically replied, secretly enjoying the way he lit up. (Hey, attractive boy attention is always appreciated) That seemed to break Itachi's concentration, because he gave his cousin a disapproving glance accompanied by an eye-roll. However, his attention was then brought to somewhere behind where Sakura was standing, and his expression darkened considerably.

"You shouldn't be over here," a familiar voice scolded, in a tone that was neither completely serious nor joking, but still bitter.

She nearly choked on her breath, because she definitely recognized that voice.

"S-Sasuke?" she stammered out awkwardly, turning to face him. Since it was obvious that he wouldn't be playing in the game, he had changed into his street clothes, and he didn't look too happy about that.

"You can't be distracting our 'star players,' now can you?" he added, giving his brother a scathing look.

"Go back to the stands, Sasuke," Itachi said in his quietly authoritative voice, though it seemed to have little effect.

"What, I can't talk to Sakura?"

"Dude, don't be a dick," Shisui groaned to Sasuke, (vainly) trying to stop the tension.

Sakura just sat there mutely, watching them interact with a self-conscious frown on her face. She wasn't sure what Sasuke's problem was recently, but apparently she wasn't the only one he had lashed out at. Naruto had complained more than a few times (and he was his best friend for god's sake), and Itachi wouldn't even mention it. But as much as she would like to think that she didn't care what he thought, she was an insecure teenage girl so she couldn't help it.

"Leave," Itachi growled. Halftime was almost over, but that didn't seem to make Sasuke move any faster.

Silence.

"Just leave, Sasuke," Sakura managed to get out, not making eye contact.

"Also, these benches are for the Varsity team only," Shisui added cheekily. And with a child-like glare, the younger Uchiha stamped off, muttering some obscenity under his breath that no one picked up.


Needless to say, the rest of the game went pretty damn well, with Konoha barely winning by one free throw. (Courtesy of one ecstatic Shisui Uchiha)

The other team glared and booed, but in the moment of victory, not a single Konoha student gave a shit, relishing in the fact that they beat out their rivals and would be receiving a gaudy tournament trophy for their victory.

After all, they were done dealing with Sound High School...right?


The next day at school, rumors were flying, but not quite about Konoha's victory.

"Did you hear that Itachi's brother quit the Basketball team?" Deidara said to Sasori, his voice carrying over to where Sakura was sitting in Art class, a few rows behind.

"Yeah, didn't he join the wrestling team instead?" Sasori asked.

"I think so," Deidara shuddered. "You couldn't pay me to join wrestling, Orochimaru is creepy enough, having him as a coach would be terrifying."

Sakura looked to her right to see if Naruto had heard as well, but he seemed oblivious, completely immersed in his drawing of a toad.

"Naruto?" she whispered, trying to get his attention.

"Naruto."

"Naruto!"

He finally realized she called him, and sat up straight. "Um, yeah?"

"Did Sasuke quite basketball?" she asked carefully. His face fell.

"I heard that he did," he said sadly.

"I thought he was doing really well for a freshman?"

"I really don't know," Naruto sighed, uncharacteristically depressed. "He doesn't talk to me anymore. He hangs out with these real sketchy kids now and stopped doing homework for most of his classes."

At this point, Sakura was a little unsure how she was to react. Now, instead of thinking Sasuke had a personal vendetta against her, she got the feeling that he had been acting that way to everybody, not just the girl he had only met in September.

"Should I talk to him?" she wondered a loud, not seeing the way Naruto froze up.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Sakura, after you got close with Itachi, Sasuke really freaked out," he warned.

"I'm going to anyways. Someone has to," she huffed in conclusion, only for Naruto to sigh in defeat.

"Whatever, Sakura, but you might not like what he has to say…"


Sasuke looked awfully surprised when Sakura showed up at his locker after school, but that's probably because she had been viciously ignoring him for the past month and a half.

"Hey Sasuke," she called out empathetically. "How've you been?"

He started to smile, but stopped himself.

"Why are you here?"

Sakura faked a laugh to ease her nervousness. "I just asked how you were doing, geez.."

"I don't need to report to you."

"Okay, I'm going to be blunt now, I guess," she sighed. "Why did you quit basketball?"

"I have more important things to do with my time," he explained hurriedly.

"Like wrestling? With the creepiest teacher in the whole school as the coach?" Sakura frowned. "Sasuke, you had to have heard the rumors about him.."

"Well what should I have done?" he suddenly snapped, though his anger seemed directed more at himself. "Stay on a sport where my fucking old brother stole all the attention? I was asked to join wrestling. They wanted me. The basketball team is just full of assholes that wouldn't let me on the varisty team because they were too obsessed with Itachi and Shisui to even notice me."

"That's not true, Sasuke!" she pleaded. "You were the one of the only Freshman on the JV team! Mr. Hatake even told me once that he was waiting for the day you would be the MVP! People notice you, Sasuke, even if you think they don't."

Silence.

"And people care about you, even if you think they don't."

"Yeah right. Again, they'd rather care about Itachi. Even Naruto likes him more than me,
he chuckled sardonically. "My best friend from middle school thinks my older brother is nicer."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself if all you're going to do is be rude to people," she shot back. "You still haven't told me the real reason you don't talk to me anymore."

"Well, Maybe that's because I was too goddamn drunk to remember!" he half-shouted. At this point, she was glad the halls were empty, because otherwise this would draw quite the crowd. But his words made her freeze.

"D-drunk?" she stammered. "Since when do you—"

"We're different people now, Sakura," he sighed out, taking a breath to calm himself. "You can't possibly understand what I'm going through. You don't even have siblings, and I bet your parents aren't as fucked up as mine."

She went silent. Perhaps it was better not to tell him that her only parent was Shizune.

"Sasuke….just go back to the Basketball team. You're just spiting yourself at this point," she said softly, trying to get back to the original point of the conversation.

"No, Itachi can have that for himself," he growled. "I've decided that this year I will never walk in his shadow. Ever. Again."

Why do things always go back to Itachi?

"Please reconsider," was all she could get out before she walked away as quickly as she could without looking like she was sprinting away. (which she so desperately wanted to do)

She would have felt better about the conversation if Sasuke had been completely apathetic, but instead, she saw a glimpse of the insecure boy in the inside. She had seen things through his perspective for the briefest of moments, and how horrible it must be to constantly be compared to someone else who you would never live up to. It must have only rubbed salt in the wound that she had abandoned him in favor for Itachi. (But she had a reasoning for that! He had been the asshole first, just—fuck….the whole situation was just shitty) She hated herself for not seeing this insecurity earlier, and she hated herself for assuming things before.

But most of all, she hated herself for still wanting to help him.

Later that night, she sent a text.

Naruto, I don't know what you have to do, but please try to save Sasuke...for both of us.


It was only natural that Sakura's weekend would require a sleepover with her best friend (who was officially Hinata since Ino was still completely avoiding them both) since the week had been unreasonably stressful. After all, Hinata and her cousin both emulated a very relaxing aura, maybe having to do with their meditative personalities. Nevertheless, Sakura spent the first hour of their time together ranting about Sasuke, with Hinata listening quietly on her living room couch.

"I think it would be healthier for you if you just avoided him," she concluded meekly, trying not to offend Sakura, who seemed to be assuming responsibility in the whole situation. "It won't affect you if you ignore it. Now that he quit basketball, you'd only see him in the hallways at school."

Sakura sighed. "True, true….but I feel guilty. I connected with him so well in the beginning of the year that if I ignored his issues, I feel like I'd be abandoning him."

Silence.

"He needs help! All of his new friends won't give him any, but Naruto and I still can!"

"Until you asked him to get involved again, Naruto had pretty much given up," Hinata added. "And Naruto is the most optimistic person I know."

Sakura sighed. "But it'd be too easy just to ignore it. It's not right. What if he is really depressed? What if he is suicidal or—"

"Is this a bad time to interrupt?"

They turned their heads to see Neji standing in the doorway, like he had at the last sleepover. (Passively, Sakura remembered the feel of his "New Year's Kiss" and blushed a bit)

"No, perfect timing," Hinata muttered. And even though, Sakura rolled her eyes sarcastically, she welcomed a change of conversation.

"Sakura, you have 6th hour lunch, right? And Hinata has 5th?"

They nodded, and he sighed in relief.

"Good, because student council is doing a Valentine's Day fundraiser the first week of February, and…well, do you think you guys could help?"

"Depends," Sakura mused. "Exactly what am I giving up my lunch period for?"

"We're setting up a booth that students can pay a dollar to send a rose to someone else in the school on Valentine's Day," he explained. "Not my idea, but we did it last year too and it raised a lot of money."

"Who's going to be at the booth for 7th hour lunch?" Hinata asked.

"TenTen volunteered, thank god. Can you imagine having someone like Deidara run that?"

"I guess Deidara's on student council," Sakura whispered to Hinata.

"Okay, I'll do it," Sakura said proudly.

"Thank you so mu—"

"Only because then I get to see who sends flowers to who," she grinned impishly, and Hinata giggled lightly.

"Well then no one can send flowers to you, because you'd know right away!" Hinata teased, not seeing how Neji's confident smile faltered.

"No, someone in another lunch hour could order one for her," he said a little quietly before deciding he had interrupted their previous conversation for long enough, and leaving.

"Again, thank you," he finished as he left. "Feel free to go back to whatever you were talking about before."

Sakura shot Hinata a look.

"Actually, I think I'd rather watch a movie now," she giggled. "Something scary. With lots of blood."

"Sounds like you're in a better mood now," Hinata concluded. "Should I make the popcorn?"

"Hell yes."


It felt like it had been forever since Mr. Uchiha offered to set up an interview with Tsunade, but apparently he hadn't forgotten, because he informed her in class (on a freaking Monday) that Tsunade would be talking to her during her lunch hour. She was to report to the front office with her letter of recommendation from him (which she didn't even know he wrote) and to "be on her best behavior, as usual."

For some reason, he said that part with a wink that made her unsure on whether he was serious or not. (But he tended to do that a lot)

Even though it was very sudden and she didn't have that much time to mentally prepare, Sakura was glad she was getting it over with, because otherwise she would have stressed out about it for days. And this way, since it was during school, she didn't have to worry about finding an interview outfit. (It's always really difficult to determine what teenagers should wear in those situations. It's not like she owned a business suit...)

So when 6th hour came, she strode into the front office with a straight back and a (trying to be) confident smile, awaiting her fate. Mr. Uchiha failed to mention how likely it would be that she would actually get the internship, so she didn't exactly know what to expect.

The receptionist smiled at her warmly, easing some of the nervous flutters in her empty stomach. (She sure as hell wasn't going to eat with an anxious stomach.)

"Are you Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes," Sakura affirmed, clutching the folder with her recommendation and grades tightly.

"Well then go right in, sweetie," she said, gesturing to a door near the back. Sakura nodded.

"Thanks!"

Once she strode up to it, she knocked gently.

"Come in!"

(she did)

She walked in to see their buxom principle sitting at her desk, sipping something from a cloudy glass while staring out the window.

"The weather's still kinda shitty, huh?" she mused aloud, which really startled Sakura. Did she just—

"Oh, oops, sorry for swearing," Tsunade apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Some habits are hard to break, even at work."

"It's okay?" Sakura awkwardly responded.

"Take a seat, mmkay?"

So Sakura sat onto the plush leather chair in front of the desk, slightly sinking into the comfortable fabric.

"So you're Sakura Haruno, star of Madara Uchiha's AP Biology class~"

"Uh, yes. That's me," she chuckled nervously.

"One of two freshmen, am I correct?"

"Yes, me and Gaara Sabaku."

"Do you know why Mr. Uchiha recommended you for this?" she asked, now getting into a more serious interview mode.

"He knew from the beginning of the year that I was interested in a career in medicine, and I've maintained a steady A+, even with my extracurriculars," she explained coolly.

"Good, good. Now, I understand you also excel in math, correct?"

"Yes, I've always done well."

"How are you in English and other studies?"

"I have to work at English and History a bit harder because the material doesn't come as easily, but I have no issues memorizing French vocabulary."

"Yeah, I understand about History. Orochimaru can be a real shitty teacher sometimes," she laughed, making Sakura feel awkward again. Is wasn't as if she was allowed to criticize her own teachers…

"I put a lot of effort into school," Sakura concluded. "It's very important to prepare myself for my future."

Hell yeah. Well said, Sakura-sweetie.

"Well said," Tsunade replied, making Sakura feel as if she had just read her mind. But if she could really read my mind, then she'd know that I find her boobs really distracting when she props them up on the desk. "Do you have your letter and grades?"

"Yes, here you go," Sakura smiled, handing her the very professional-looking folder she had put them in. "And thank you in advance for your consideration."

Tsunade sighed in amazement.

"I think I've heard all I need to. You basically already have the position, I'll just need to send in all the paperwork and official documents to sign you up. I'll email you about a schedule."

"Really?" Sakura grinned, half-squealing and semi-drunk on the sudden rush of happiness that swept through her. "Oh my god! Thank you so much!"

"No problem, kid," Tsunade smirked. "Just know that you're allowed to be casual with me. You can swear if you want."

"Thankyousofuckingmuch?" Sakura breathed out quickly, not completely sure she could say the f-word and get away with it.

But she did.

"Perfect!" Tsunade concluded. "You can go to the rest of your lunch period now. A girl's gotta eat, right?"

"Yes, thank you!"

However, just as she was about to exit, Tsunade made sure to add: "Keep it up, kid. I can see a good future for you."


This was so shooooooort. I'm sorrrrry. I have so much planned for the next chapters though so it's okay. And I will actually be updating like a normal person, now that I have free time again.

Speaking of updates, my other fic "Battlefield of the Mind" will get a new chapter soon (tomorrow), so you could always check that out. (;