Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto.

Sasuke

A week has passed and I have gotten more comfortable in my new class, though I have yet to talk to anyone besides Ino, Sakura, Shika, Chouji and Naruto. Classes have gotten slightly less boring with Iruka as our teacher. Naruto has started an incredibly one-sided rivalry with Uchiha Sasuke and has taken to challenging him to fights in taijutsu. He always loses and ends up embarrassing himself. I tried to talk him into going about his rivalry a little smarter, but Naruto has a one-track-mind when he is focused on something. The whole class now knows about his status as Dead Last and all the girls with the exception of me and Hyuuga Hinata hate him for challenging Sasuke constantly. It's... troublesome.

When I enter the classroom the today, Naruto is already there, sitting in the front row, for some reason glaring at Sasuke who sneers back at him. The seat between them is empty.

I turn to Shikamaru. "Do you want to sit with me in the back?" I ask hopefully.

Shikamaru gives me a look. "Naruto will be troublesome if you don't sit with him."

True enough. Naruto would probably stare at me with big, sad, blue eyes all day and I'd feel like a horrible person. Then he'd ask me after school in a small voice if I was angry at him while looking like a kicked puppy. I'd assure him I was not, and then I'd have to buy him ramen to cheer him up.

I sigh. "Sit behind me then?"

"Sure." At least I'll have someone I trust watching my back.

Naruto interrupts his glaring when I sit between him and Sasuke.

"Morning, Ri-chan!" he greets me cheerfully. "Is it okay if we sit here today?"

"Good morning, 'Ruto. And it's alright," I reply and give him a smile. Then I turn to Sasuke and give him a greeting nod, meeting his eyes for only a split second. "Good morning, Uchiha-san," I address him quietly, grateful my voice doesn't shake.

"Hn," he replies and turns away from me. I hear Naruto taking in a breath, possibly in preparation for yelling at him for not answering me properly, so I distract him by asking about his plans for today. Naruto has just launched into a complicated explanation about different kinds of colors and glues when the swarm of female classmates comes in giggling and squealing. As soon as they see Sasuke, they crowd around him, blushes on their cheeks and eyes glowing in fanatic worship.

I still can't get over how Ino is part of them.

I see Naruto's disgruntled and jealous expression. "Trust me," I tell him. "You don't want them to fawn over you instead of him. They'll drive you insane."

Naruto doesn't answer and resumes his previous glaring at Sasuke. I mentally sigh. Troublesome, idiotic rivalry.

Iruka enters the classroom and everyone calms down a little. "We will start training with chakra today," he says. Excited whispering fills the classroom. Naruto turns to me. "Awesome! Then we can jump over roofs and stuff! Imagine all the pranks we could do!" he says, grinning.

I give him a smile back. "It will only be meditation and control exercises at first. It will probably take a while before you can roof and tree hop."

I can already do it. Yoshino taught me how, and then she chased me all over the compound with her water-whip, which made practicing less fun than it could have been. I haven't really done it in front of anyone else except Shikamaru though.

"I'll learn it in no time, and then I'll learn awesome jutsu and become Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto shouts optimistically.

"Alright, quiet everyone!" Iruka shouts. When the class has calmed down a bit, he says: "As I said, we will start training with chakra today. Because of that, today's lesson will be on chakra theory and how it works." Disgruntled murmurs sound through the room. "And we will only have our first ninjutsu class when I am sure you have grasped the basics of chakra theory."

Smart. Offering ninjutsu training as a reward for doing well. Though calling it ninjutsu training is a bit of a stretch. We won't learn actual jutsu until after our first year. It really will only be about accessing and controlling chakra at this time.

Iruka starts the lesson, and I make sure to pay extra attention. I already know most of what he is saying, but it can't hurt to hear it twice. Occasionally, I nudge Naruto's shoulder so he'll pay at least a little attention.

Two hours later, Iruka leads us outside to the same training ground we used yesterday.

"Alright, students!" he says. "Which of you can already access their chakra?" I, along with Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and, of course, Uchiha Sasuke, lift my hand.

Shikamaru can do it too but he probably wants to use the meditation exercises as nap time. Troublesome boy.

"I will give the four of you some control exercises. Just wait over there while I give your peers their instructions." We nod our affirmations and start moving to where Iruka indicated we should wait. I don't want to leave Shika, Chouji and Naruto, but at some point I'll have to stop relying on them so much. Plus, maybe I could make some new friends.


The four of us stand around in silence waiting for Iruka. It's really awkward. Sasuke leans against a tree, frowning at nothing. Shino stands around with his hands in the pockets of his cloak. It's impossible to tell what he's looking at behind his sunglasses. Hinata seems to be trying to make herself as small as possible and looks as uncomfortable as I am starting to feel. Her hands are lifted in front of her, forefingers pushing against each other. I stand with my back to the fence of the training ground in a spot where I can both see my current company and keep an eye on the meditating group.

The minutes pass. I really can't stand the silence, but I don't want to be the first one to break it.

Finally, Iruka arrives.

"Alright, tell me what control exercises you have already finished and which you are currently working on," he tells us.

"Umm, I am working on Leaf Floating," Hinata says in a very quiet, nervous voice.

"I as well," Shino states.

Iruka turns to Sasuke.

"I can already do ninjutsu," he says.

We all stare at him. I don't know why I'm so surprised. He does come from an elite clan, and I have heard teachers praise him as a genius.

"I see," Iruka says. "Still, chakra control is important and will allow you to use jutsu more efficiently. Which control exercises have you already done?"

"Leaf Floating and Leaf Spinning." The standard exercises, apart from Tree Climbing and Water Walking. Those two are hard to practice at our age because we lack the stamina and chakra reserves that are required to properly train them.

Iruka nods and turns to look at me. "And you, Riko?"

"I started Kunai Balancing yesterday." Yoshino would never be satisfied with only the standard exercises. Kunai Balancing is a more advanced exercise where the user must use their chakra to balance a kunai on its tip on the palm of their hand. Even more difficult is balancing it on a fingertip.

Yoshino can balance five kunai at once, one over each of her fingertips. She told me that when I master the exercise to the point that I can balance two at the same time, she will start teaching me actual jutsu.

Iruka nods. "Alright. Shino and Hinata, continue to practice the Leaf Floating Exercise. Sasuke, I will show you the Kunai Balancing Exercise. Riko, you will continue working on Kunai Balancing. Here, I will give you a kunai."

"I have one," I say and pull out the kunai dad gave me the day after I was released from the hospital. Yoshino gave me a new wide belt made from black fabric and showed me how to hide the kunai underneath it. Then she had me practice pulling the kunai out quickly without looking, and after that she taught me a few ways to use it in close combat.

Iruka looks surprised. My three classmates stare at me. I suppose it's somewhat unusual for an eight year old Academy student in her first year to carry around a sharp weapon. Though I wouldn't be surprised at all if Sasuke did the same thing.

Iruka shakes the surprise off and starts to explain Kunai Balancing to Sasuke. Hinata and Shino stop staring at me and both go to find leaves for their exercise.

I start focusing on my own exercise. I really want to start learning actual jutsu so I won't be so weak should I get attacked again. Next time will be different.

After a half hour, I am thoroughly frustrated. The kunai seems to mock me. I haven't made any progress at all, the kunai only stands stable for around a second. It's so much harder than floating and rotating leaves.

"Nara. Why do you carry a kunai around?"

I start. It was Sasuke that spoke. Shino and Hinata are a little ways from us, practicing their own exercises.

I take a deep breath and turn to look at Sasuke. "Because," I say softly. "I tend to have really bad luck." I block out the memories that threaten to assault me. I can't break down in front of Sasuke.

He's still looking at me, thinking over my words. Of all the people in this village, he probably understands what I'm not saying the most. I wonder if he sees my past reflected in my eyes like I sometimes see in his.

"Hn," he says, and turns back to his kunai. I let out a relieved breath.

Troublesome. How am I supposed to be a strong ninja if I can't even talk to one classmate? Pathetic, I think. Too weak.

I should talk to him. Say something about the exercise, talk about school, commiserate about his fangirls. But I'm a coward and I can't bring myself to open my mouth, so we continue our exercise in silence.


Months pass.

By the end of our first term, every member of class 1A has managed to access their chakra and got started on Leaf Floating. I can now balance one kunai over the tip of my forefinger and another over my palm, though one always falls down after a minute. Still, Yoshino decided it was good enough and started to teach me the Kawarimi no jutsu.

My first ninjutsu. I'm one step closer to becoming a real ninja.

School life has gotten more comfortable, and both Naruto and I have expanded our circle of acquaintances. During the meditations for accessing their chakra, Naruto made friends with Inuzuka Kiba, who is about the only person who has near as much energy as him and can't sit still any longer either. This resulted in them cutting class a lot, Shikamaru and Chouji joining in more often than not. I'd have joined them, but they seemed to want to have some 'boy-time', and besides, I have a reputation to uphold and a title to keep.

I have managed to establish a weird camaraderie with Aburame Shino who is really quite intelligent and second place in the boy's rankings. We don't talk much, and when we do, it's mostly about class. He appreciates that I don't mind his bugs or listening to him talk about them, and I like his calm and collected demeanor. We usually sit together when Naruto and them cut class.

I tried talking to Hyuuga Hinata, too but she is so shy, she can hardly get a word out in my presence. I still greet her and give her a friendly smile when I see her, but until she gets less shy, I don't see us becoming closer.

Ino and Sakura think of themselves as my rivals now. Academically, Sakura is almost as good as me, and Ino is good with taijutsu and practical lessons, but neither are good in both areas, so I keep my Top Girl spot. It helps that they spend a significant part of their time fawning over Sasuke instead of training.

The rivalry puts a strain on their friendship though. Both want Sasuke, and both want to be Top Kunoichi come graduation. Sometimes I see one of them eyeing the other jealously, and I've heard them make snide comments about each other to the other girls they hang out with. It makes me sad to see their friendship crumble, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Sasuke and I haven't really talked again besides a few sentences in ninjutsu class, where we have the same exercises to complete.

One time, some people from my old class including Tachibana Fumio saw us and immediately surrounded me to ask how I've been doing and how they'd try to get in the same class as me. I got invitations to hang out and Fumio proved that his crush had not subsided at all by asking me out three times in that one conversation. They only left when Iruka came over to scare them off.

Sasuke didn't start talking more after that, but he started looking less cold in my presence.

In Naruto's presence though, he is an arrogant jerk. Every time he wins against Naruto, he lifts his nose in a dignified sneer, causing all the girls to swoon and Naruto to yell at him. The two can't seem to stand each other. Sometimes, though, I think they both see each other as friends, though they'd never admit it, least of all to themselves.

I continue to train hard almost every day with Yoshino. Thanks to her, my taijutsu has become good enough to win a spar against Kiba, though he did underestimate me. Now he works extra hard during taijutsu class and I can see he wants to have a rematch. He hasn't challenged me to one yet, though, but I suppose that's just a matter of time.

Mom also has me training with shuriken and kunai. My accuracy has gotten a lot better than when I first started, but it's not at the level it needs to be to be useful in a fight. I'll get there someday, though. I've also asked her about maybe training with senbon, seeing as they'd complement my taijutsu nicely, but she doesn't want to teach me until I've gotten better with kunai and shuriken.

I'm getting stronger, but more than that, I'm getting faster. With chakra now augmenting my movements, I feel like I am flying when I run and jump through trees and over rooftops. Even without chakra, the only one in our class that is faster than I is Sasuke.


It's Friday afternoon and I'm walking through Konoha's main street. Naruto and I got separated after we were nearly caught redecorating the storefront of a restaurant that continuously refuses to serve Naruto. He chose to escape by jumping over rooftops while mocking the owners. I chose to pretend to be a shocked bystander and blend into the crowd. Now I am slowly making my way to the Nara compound. Yoshino has something to do today, so I have a day off from training and don't have to hurry.

I take a turn into a side street, looking at the displayed goods of the different stores. I'm not really into shopping, but I do keep my eyes open for nice things or new books. And when I study the store window of a candy shop, the reflection shows someone running towards me.

It's Tachibana Fumio. Ugh. Time to leave.

I make a big show out of looking at my watch, then I channel chakra and take to the rooftops in a hurry, as if I had just realised I was late for something. I chance a quick look behind me. He is following me.

I run over a few more rooftops as fast as I can, then I drop down into the streets again and run a few blocks, trying to shake him off. It doesn't work, I can hear him calling for me. Troublesome!

I run through a few more streets and then I see a fence with an abandoned looking forest right behind it. Likely a training ground. Without stopping to think, I hastily climb over the fence and hide behind a tree.

Not a second later I can hear Fumio run past my hiding place, yelling: "Nara? Do you wanna train together?"

I let out a relieved breath. Most training grounds are off limits for anyone below genin level, so he didn't think I would hide in here. The moron likely didn't even notice I was running and hiding from him at all.

Shikamaru may have been onto something when he called him my fangirl. I'm just glad Fumio's the only one.

I take a look around me. Naruto and I snuck into a few training grounds, but none of them were as densely wooded as this one.

I'm curious now. No one expects me at home right now, and I have nothing to do. Besides, if I leave, I might run into Fumio again. Why shouldn't I take a look around? It should be safe enough. If this were a dangerous training ground, it would have been secured better.

I walk deeper into the forest, palming my kunai in my hand just in case. I haven't really gotten over Kuramoto's attack and the subsequent anxiety, but most of the time, I manage to control it. So long as I don't let it control me, it could actually be useful since it makes me more aware of my surroundings.

The forest seems normal, a little neglected, maybe. It's probably not frequented very often. I walk deeper inside, towards where I can hear water. The forest seems lighter in that direction, too.

I stop right at the edge of a clearing, hidden behind trees. The clearing is quite lovely, with tall trees and soft grass. A small creek is responsible for the water noises I heard.

I don't spend much time looking at the scenery, because training in the middle of the clearing is Uchiha Sasuke. He is doing kata I don't recognise, gracefully executing the movements. God, he's beautiful, a voice in the back of my mind sighs. I block it out.

I shouldn't watch this. I shouldn't be here.

I'm about to leave the way I came from when Sasuke suddenly tenses and whirls around. "Who's there? Show yourself!" he commands.

Bugger. Caught. I put my kunai away and walk out from behind the trees into the clearing. Awesome, Ri. Now he probably thinks you are some fangirl stalking him.

"Nara," he says, face expressionless when he looks at me. I fight down the dread his cold look evokes in me. I can feel the bad thoughts and memories creeping up on me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here," I say. "I was just... uh... evading someone and ended up in here..." my voice trails off. I can't rip my eyes from his.

"Evading who?" his cold voice asks.

"Tachibana Fumio. From my old class. He's... well he likes me a lot for some reason," I answer.

"I remember," Sasuke states.

"Ahh, that's right, you saw him that one time... in ninjutsu class, was it?" I laugh nervously even though there's nothing funny. God, this is so awkward. Distract him!

"Uhh... do you want to spar?" The moment the question comes out of my mouth, I want to take it back. I should be trying to get away from him, not pick a fight with the best student in the Academy. I've seen how he fights. He's been labeled a genius for a reason.

He gives me a considering look, then nods curtly. Cursing my idiocy, I walk towards him. A tiny part of me though is flattered that he considers me a worthy opponent and didn't send me away.

Sasuke and I have never fought each other before, but we've seen how the other fights. I would be lying if I said the thought of sparring him didn't excite me. His taijutsu is the best in our class, and he never loses. He's fast, strong and his form is flawless.

I stop walking when I'm only a few steps away from him and sink into my fighting stance. He tenses and assumes a ready position. Then we look into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to attack.

Sasuke is the first one to move. Almost faster than my eyes can follow, he runs forward, fist flying out towards me. I dodge his attack, then dart in, snapping my own fist forward, but he blocks it, and I jump away again.

And so the fight begins. His attacks are direct and sharp, while mine are light and flowing. Again and again, I jump in to attack and dance away when he blocks me and moves to counterattack. Faster and faster, we whirl around each other in an intricate dance of punches and kicks, blocks and counters. And when our eyes lock, I can see the look of anger, rage and so much hatred in his glare that isn't directed at me but at someone only he can see, and I feel everything I've buried deep inside me flare up, the anger and hatred for my parent's killer, all the crushing guilt and self-loathing, the hurt I still feel over their murder, the frustration at being so weak and pathetic, the mind-numbing fear of someday losing everything I've found here, of not being able to protect those I've come to love, of returning to that dark and lonely place. And everything he and I feel is communicated in our attacks, our screams of rage and torment contained within our fists, and it's painful and glorious. We are broken and whole, dead and alive, chained and unleashed.

For the first time in my life, I let go and let myself be everything I was scared to be before, and it's magnificent.

I lose all sense of time. My mind is in a place where nothing else matters but moving and feeling. It could be hours or seconds that we dance around each other in this fight that has become so much more than that.

Finally, Sasuke sweeps his leg behind mine and I fall to the ground. Before I can move, he kneels above me, one hand on my throat. We are both breathing hard, and for the first time he is really looking at me and I at him. Seeing each other without memories and pain obstructing our vision.

I don't know how long we stay like that until he takes his hand from my throat and moves back to sit on the ground next to me. I stay where I am, lying on the ground, staring up into the sky, more at peace with myself than I have ever been before. My breaths are ragged and my vision is blurry, but I don't realise I am crying until Sasuke's hand wipes the tears away. When I turn to look at him, he is staring at his tearstained fingers as if he's never seen them before.

No word is spoken. He stays until my eyes are dry again and my breathing has calmed down, then he stands up and walks away.

"Same time next week?" I croak after him, my voice sounding as if I haven't used it in years.

"Hn," he replies, and I can't tell if that's a no or a yes.

But he's there the next week and the week after that and every week following them.

We don't talk. We aren't friends. Outside of our fights, we hardly exist for each other. But Uchiha Sasuke has become one of the most important people in my life, because he is the one person I can truly be myself around.