Author's notes: Someone said that the summary is not very catchy. Sorry about that, but I can't edit my summary right now, I don't know why. Please bear with it first until the system works again. For the meantime, please recommend this story to your friends.
Anyway, since you guys have been so good for reviewing, here's another chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 8 – Strange Words
It was lunch break and all the students are in their respective dorm cafeterias. The halls were filled with murmurs, giggles of the girls and laughter from the boys, and with sounds of utensils occasionally hitting the plates. In the Quarters, the students are still divided between groups of boys and girls.
"I can't believe we have that guy as our teacher," Ino said, remembering their first class. "I mean, self-study for 3 hours?"
Hatake Kakashi was one of the military school instructors. Senior students are privileged to be taught by these instructors in preparation for their future admission to the military school. He is also a high ranked military officer. However, he never liked teaching in a classroom. He prefers field instructions and military training.
"As far as I know, he's one of the best out there," Hinata commented. "Maybe he'll get serious next time?"
"He better," Ino replied. She turned to Sakura and grinned. "So," she began, "Who's the hottie?"
Sakura looked up from her food. "Who?"
"You know," Ino rolled her eyes. "The boy behind you in class."
"Oh, him." Sakura frowned. "He's Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uchiha?" Hinata asked. "His family is very well-known in all countries. They hold a high position in the military."
"Ooh. Gorgeous, rich and powerful." Ino grinned wider. "So how'd you know him?"
"We bumped into each other," Sakura scoffed. "He's a total jerk, you know."
"Right. So are you two going out?" Sakura choked on her dessert.
"No." Sasuke was stuck with Naruto and his friends since the idiot dragged him here.
"Really? For a second I thought you two were." Naruto took a large bite off his steak. "Sorry, it's just that everyone's getting engaged and all. If you were, I wanna be the first to know. Best friends, right?" Sasuke just continued eating.
"What do you mean everyone's getting engaged?" Kiba commented. "I sure didn't."
"What? I thought you were matched up with some girl last night?" Naruto asked. Then, he grinned. "She was ugly, huh?"
"No," Kiba answered half-heartedly. "But when I showed her Akamaru, she kept on sneezing. Turned out, she was allergic. It didn't work out. I mean, my whole house is filled with mutts. She'll die sneezing even before she gets pass the door."
Naruto laughed and turned to Shino. "And what about you?"
"She was pretty," he began. "I thought she was showing interest in me so I tried to act interested, too. She asked if I have pets so I showed her my collection."
Naruto and Kiba looked at each other and laughed.
"Why'd you go and show her your insects?" Naruto managed to say between his fits of laughter.
"So what happened? Did she run away in terror?" Kiba chuckled. "Poor girl." He and Naruto burst out laughing again.
"On the contrary," Shino calmly said. "She thought they were, in her words, very cute." Naruto and Kiba stopped laughing.
"Then, you two…" Naruto trailed.
"However, she went and touched one of them - a species that easily gets scared. I warned her but she still did and it bit her." Shino looked gloomy. "Along with the whole colony." The whole table looked at him but he didn't seem bothered by it. Naruto and Kiba started laughing again, this time even louder. "Her parents got mad and called off the engagement."
Sasuke can't stand it - two loudmouths, a creep and a glutton, on his third plate. He turned to Shikamaru, who, in his opinion, was tolerable. "Are they always like this?"
Shikamaru looked at him, a little surprised Sasuke talked to him. "You have no idea."
After lunch, the seniors had Situational Analysis. They went to their classroom to find the teacher already there. He had scars on his hard face. He has a well-built body and his eyes were probing everyone coming in. Unlike during the first class, nobody dared speak nor stand. Sasuke and Sakura managed to find seats farthest from each other.
When the bell rang, the teacher stood up and locked the door. He went back to the front and surveyed each and every one of them.
"Good afternoon." His voice was low and commanding. "I am your instructor for this course, Morino Ibiki, and I expect nothing less than excellence in this class."
"That was really scary," Ino complained. "Why do we get the creepy ones?" Sakura, Ino and Hinata were just getting out of the building.
"I heard he's the best interrogator of the army," Hinata said.
"Interrogator? So that's why he looks at us like we're all guilty of something." Ino frowned.
"Sakura, Ino, I need to go now. I have practice." Hinata bowed and went away.
"Well, I'll go, too," Sakura said.
"Where to?" Ino inquired.
"You know where," Sakura grinned.
"You nerd." Ino waved goodbye.
"Sasuke," Naruto said. "We're off to the courts. Wanna play?"
"No." Sasuke began walking away without looking at Naruto and his friends.
"He doesn't like us, does he?" Chouji said, munching on chips.
"Nah," Naruto said. "He doesn't like anybody."
Sasuke went back to his room to change into casual clothes. He placed his uniform in the laundry basket and his bag on his desk. He got his wallet and keys and went down to where the motorcycles are parked. He unchained it and got on. He was about to put his helmet on when someone spoke.
"You're up to no good, aren't you?" Sakura was standing at the driveway, still in her uniform.
Sasuke frowned. "Get lost."
"Where are you going? It's the first day of school and you're already getting yourself in trouble."
"None of your business." Sasuke glared at her. "Get out of the way or I'll run you over." Sakura didn't move.
"By any chance," she hesitated. "Are you going to Konoha?"
"Like I said, none of your business." Sasuke was irritated. 'Didn't she say to leave her alone?' Looking back at her, she looked almost pleading. He sighed. "What do you want?"
She sighed. "Can I hitch a ride to Konoha?" Sakura fidgeted. "I need to buy something."
Sasuke snorted. 'Like that's gonna happen.' He put on his helmet and started the engine. Eventually, she'll step aside. He drove forward and she did move away. She said nothing and headed back to the Quarters. "Tsk." He removed his helmet. "C'mon," he called out to her. Sakura looked back at him. "Hurry up." She smiled and ran back to him.
"Thank you," Sakura said as she climbed up behind him. "I owe you one." She put her bag on her lap and pulled on Sasuke's shirt with both hands so she wouldn't fall.
They drove away.
Sasuke dropped her off into a bookstore. She thanked him again and went inside. He was about to drive away when he realized that she can't go back alone and it was late in the afternoon. Annoyed, he waited for her outside.
When Sakura got out, she looked surprised. "Why are you still here?"
"How are you going to get back?" He snapped. He wasted 30 minutes already.
"Oh, right." Sakura went to him. "Didn't think about that. I guess that means I owe you two?"
"C'mon," he said.
"Oh, lovely lady," someone said. Sasuke realized a boy with thick brows and bowl-shaped haircut was addressing Sakura. Sasuke watched as he went to her and kissed her hand. Sakura frowned.
"Who are you?" Sakura said, angry.
"How rude of me." The boy did a theatrical pose. "My name is Rock Lee, the epitome of youth. May I know your name, sweet flower?" Sakura didn't want to say her name. Fortunately, someone else appeared.
"Lee, what are you doing?" A boy, the same age as Lee, with long brown hair and pale eyes approached them. "Let's go back." He looked around and saw black eyes looking back at him. He smirked. "Didn't think I'd run into you, Uchiha." Both Lee and Sakura looked at Sasuke.
"So, it is you," Lee said. "I didn't see you there. Are you here to check on your wheels, too?" Sasuke ignored him.
"Let's go, Lee," Neji said.
"I will tell you one thing, Uchiha. You will lose," Lee declared, again with his pose, before following Neji.
"You know them?" Sakura asked, climbing behind him. Sasuke didn't answer and drove away.
Sakura was about to ask Sasuke where they were going when they stopped in front of a building. She climbed down and followed Sasuke inside. "Keep this to yourself or you'll never say anything again. Got it?" Sasuke whispered to her.
"Good afternoon, Uchiha-sama," the receptionist greeted. She got a card and handed it to Sasuke. "Have a nice day." Sasuke went inside an elevator and pushed the button for basement 3 once Sakura was inside, too.
The elevator stopped and they were in a corridor with numbered doors on both sides. The rooms, Sakura thought, were a little narrow, if that's what they were. They reached the end of the hallway and Sasuke stopped in front of the last door on the right. He slid the card in the slit in the middle of the door.
"Uchiha Sasuke," he said, and the door hissed and opened. They stepped in and Sakura saw a sleek and shiny black and red car.
'So that's what it was about.' The stranger's remarks made sense to her now. "This is your car?" Sasuke nodded and went to open the hood. "Cool." Sakura looked over his shoulder to see the engine, which was also sleek and shiny. "Is it new?"
"No. Shut up." Sasuke closed the hood and sat on the driver's seat.
'Then it's well-maintained,' she thought, admiring the beauty before her. "Are you going to race?" Sasuke didn't answer. "Can I sit inside, too?" Still no answer, but she assumed he didn't mind. She sat on the passenger seat. "When's the race? Is it your first time? Have you won before? How well do you drive? Give me the specs of this car."
Sasuke didn't know where the girl's sudden enthusiasm came from. He always thought girls weren't interested in cars, but Sakura sounded like she knows a lot about them. He tried not to be bothered by it and started the engine. The car purred softly.
"I can make you win."
Sasuke was taken aback and looked at Sakura. Strangely, she had her hands on the dashboard and her eyes were unfocused like she was in a trance.
Author's notes: Well? What did you think about it? Next chapter will be posted when I reach 20 reviews, hahaha. You can write what you think will happen next chapter or your thoughts about what Sakura's planning or what you think happened to her. Or you can just review the story as a whole. Thanks!
