Chapter 11 – Don't Mess With Her
It had been pouring down with rain all week.
Sighing and resting her cheek against the shoulder by her side, Sakura looked out at the horrific weather.
Since their date, Sasuke had definitely been more affectionate than she thought possible for him. Well, not exactly affectionate, but more like… Sakura wasn't sure. He liked holding her, whether it was her hand, hugging her or simply having her leaning against him.
At that moment in time they were inside of the school library after just finishing their lunch. Really, they were supposed to be studying for the exams that were fast approaching, but their minds were elsewhere. Well, Sakura's was. Sasuke seemed fine with completing an outstanding assignment as she continued to lean against him, sighing every now and then while also staring out of the window. In fact, it was almost like she didn't distract him at all.
Annoyed at the thought, Sakura grumbled under her breath before quickly turning her head to the side. "Sasuke–"
Her eyes widened when she saw that he was already looking at her. However, he wasn't watching her eyes, he was staring at a certain part of her face.
He was staring at her lips! What did she do? Was she supposed to say something? Blushing, Sakura turned her head away. She still… She still wasn't ready for anything like that. Sure, she found herself thinking about Sasuke in such a way and it was obvious (considering what had just happened) that he thought of her that way, too, but she was still learning how to trust him. She simply wasn't the type of girl who kissed random guys (even though Sasuke wasn't all that random). If things like that were going to happen, Sakura wanted to be one hundred percent sure that it would be real. She didn't want to do anything and later on be hurt by Sasuke. It would crush her.
"Oi, there they are!"
"N-Naruto-kun, you must keep your voice down, we're in a library."
Thankful for the distraction, Sakura smiled brightly up at Hinata and Naruto as they sat down opposite them. She was trying not to focus on Sasuke, who she could still feel staring at her.
"Is something wrong, Sakura-san?" Hinata frowned softly, seeming worried. "You look flushed."
She felt her cheeks and almost groaned with annoyance because of how hot they felt. No doubt her entire face was red. "It's nothing. It's just so warm in here."
Chancing a glance up at the boy sat beside her, she grimaced. As soon as their eyes had met Sasuke raised an eyebrow, probably asking her without words what the hell her problem was. Maybe she had overreacted? It was no secret that Sakura had the tendency to do that. But… But she hadn't been imagining Sasuke staring at her lips, had she? Or had she?
What if he did want to kiss her? What was she supposed to do? Would it seem stupid if she told him that she didn't want anything like that to happen just yet? What if she hurt his feelings? Or he thought that she was rejecting him? That could mess everything up.
"Stop overthinking," Sasuke muttered to her under his breath.
"You were staring," she blurted out.
He met her eyes and once more raised an eyebrow, uncaring that they now had both Hinata and Naruto's attention. "What?"
Her blush deepened. "Just now…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and rested the side of his head in his hand, his elbow resting on the table so that he was facing her and the two opposite them could not see what he was saying. "You were saying something under your breath and I couldn't hear you."
Sakura almost, almost dropped her head against the table with a harsh bang. However, one look at the librarian who was watching Naruto closely (it was no secret that he was loud and often caused a disturbance) had her refraining from doing so.
"I didn't realise." She smiled sheepishly, looking away.
Well that was embarrassing. She had been overreacting. Sasuke hadn't been staring at her lips because he wanted to kiss her – he was staring at them because she was muttering under her breath and he couldn't understand what she was saying. He had been lip reading. Damn it. Damn it! Damn it!
Noticing her distress, Hinata leaned forward and offered a small smile. "Please could you help me with chemistry, Sakura-san? The homework is due for next lesson and I still don't understand it much."
She nodded quickly and accepted the chemistry homework, thankful for the distraction yet inwardly smirking at Hinata's lie. That girl was a lot smarter than she let on and a hell of a lot more observant. She could do this piece of work in ten minutes. It also wasn't due in next lesson because Hinata had just had chemistry. Still, Sakura was grateful for the distraction as she had already completed her own homework.
Leaning forward like Hinata had, Sakura placed the piece of homework into the middle of the desk, carefully and unnecessarily explaining everything to her. When the boys weren't looking, however, she gave the Hyuuga a grateful smile and silently promised to make it up to her somehow.
"Oh, I understand now." Hinata smiled after several minutes. "Thank you, Sakura-san."
She nodded and sat back, though soon turned her head in Sasuke's direction when his arm touched her shoulders. It wasn't actually wrapped around her, however. It was simply resting on the back of her chair and had been for a while now. So, Sakura didn't make a fuss and instead leaned just that little bit closer, glancing up at him with a smile and hoping he hadn't taken offence to her overreaction. A small smile was his response as well as his arm resting more fully against her shoulders, his hand on her arm.
Before their date – hell, before the elevator incident, Sakura had truly believed that she would be driven insane if she had to spend time with Sasuke, let alone spend all of her lunches and mutual free periods with him (as well as dating him). However… It truly wasn't all that bad and, in a way, she was glad that he was proving her wrong. Sakura was glad that he was making her previous thoughts about him seem so harsh and uncalled for. Sasuke truly had matured. Not just in appearance but also mentally and emotionally. And…
"You're staring."
Sakura's eyes snapped to his, widening. "What?"
Sasuke smirked, making her heart stop as he leaned closer, his face only inches from her own. "You were staring at me."
A blush rose to her cheeks. "I… couldn't hear what you were saying."
It surprised her when Sasuke quietly chuckled, keeping his voice low so that they didn't attract the unwanted attention of the librarian. When his chuckling faded, he was smirking at her once more. "I wasn't saying anything."
"…Oh."
Like on the night of their date, like every single time they spoke since that night, Sakura could pick on his scent, though was still unable to identify what that scent actually was. For a while she had considered it to be sweat, but it was too nice to be that. It was something that she found appealing and after being a member of a dojo for a few years now, sweat definitely was not appealing to her and she had also learned to ignore it. What could it be? Did Sasuke wear cologne? Was it that?
Realising that she was thinking too much about it, Sakura forced herself to stop and instead smiled at Sasuke once more, turning her head to the side to watch their friends. Like she had been hoping, Naruto and Hinata weren't paying them much attention, although their eyes repeatedly looked up from their work and to the couple, only to meet a moment later to smile at each other.
When had Hinata become so calm around Naruto? Leaning more against Sasuke, Sakura watched the pair. There was a respectful distance between them and they weren't hogging the other's side of the table, simply working together and helping the other out with work (although it was mostly Hinata helping Naruto). However, it had to be the most calm Sakura had ever seen the Hyuuga – well, around Naruto, anyway. It was curious and made her suspicious. Had something happened between them? Or was Hinata simply growing used to his presence?
Her anxiety wasn't something she had control over (which was what made her so anxious in the first place). Hinata would rather stay in the back of the crowd with her head lowered, with nobody paying any attention to her. That way, if she messed up somehow or did something unusual, nobody would notice her mistake. It eased her anxiety ever so slightly when people weren't watching her. So… How was she so calm around Naruto, when just the other day, she hadn't been able to look him in the eye without blushing?
It was…
Watching as Naruto looked up at Hinata, asking her something, Sakura couldn't help but smile. There was a warmth in his eyes, a friendly look on his face. She knew that idiot too well not to pick up on the fact that he knew about Hinata's feelings. Sure, he could be totally dense when he wanted to be and sure, you would have to beat some things into his head with a truck before he understood it, but… He knew. He knew about Hinata's feelings, but was trying his best not to make her uncomfortable about it.
Did he return her feelings? Or was it too soon to say? Truth be told, they had only started speaking to one another on the day Sakura attempted to meet Avenger–S, completely oblivious to the fact that he was Uchiha Sasuke. How long had it been since then? Three, maybe four weeks? So roughly around a month. Some would consider it to be way too soon for anything to happen between Naruto and Hinata, especially the latter. Well, it wouldn't really be Hinata who believed it to be too soon. It would be her family. Her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, was a proud, traditional man and Sakura had only had the 'honour' of meeting him twice and both times, he'd looked at her with barely concealed disdain. Hinata, on the other hand, had been in love with Uzumaki Naruto since they were just eleven years old – so around six or seven years.
"Sakura," Sasuke murmured as he pulled his arm away and stood up, "come with me."
She paused in automatically collecting her things, frowning up at him for a moment. The look on his face told her not to argue, however and seeing the look, she quickly packed away her books and politely smiled at both Naruto and Hinata. "Are we still going to the shop after school, Naruto?"
He nodded enthusiastically, grinning. "Yeah. There's something I need to ask you, anyway."
Almost instantly, Hinata began to fidget with one of her sleeves, looking between them both.
"I'll meet you near the entrance after last lesson, then. See you both later."
"Goodbye, Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun."
"Later."
Before anything else could be said, just as she had swung her bag over her shoulder, Sasuke took her hand and guided the way out of the library, walking too fast for them to walk side by side. It made her frown return. What was up with him and why was he acting so weird all of a sudden? Was it something she said? They stopped abruptly with Sasuke turning around, almost causing Sakura to slam right into him.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"Don't interfere."
Wait, what? "What?"
"With Naruto and Hinata," replied Sasuke as he gave her a serious look. "He told me that he thinks Hinata likes him–"
"She does."
"–but he doesn't know how he feels yet. That's why he's hanging around her more than usual. He wants to see where it goes."
Oh. And that was why Sasuke had been so weird so suddenly. He wanted to make sure she knew Naruto's plans before she blurted something stupid out and ruined it all. She had to admit, it was a good plan and there was no scheming – just Naruto trying to figure out whether or not he returned Hinata's feelings by hanging out with her. However…
"Don't let him lead her on, Sasuke," she told him just as seriously. "I know Naruto's not the kind of guy to do something like that, but Hinata… She's really sensitive and has really bad anxiety issues, not to mention she's been in love with Naruto since we were eleven. It'll crush her if Naruto decides he doesn't return her feelings after spending all this time with her."
He nodded, leaning his side against a locker. It took her longer than she'd ever admit to realise it was her own locker. "He likes her, I know that much. He's just trying to figure out how much. They haven't known each other that long, remember."
By now, more and more students were filling the hallways, a clear sign that lunch was almost over and lessons were about to resume. Unfortunately, she didn't have any frees in the afternoon like Sasuke did, although she got a good hour and a half lie-in that morning which was even better, she believed.
Noticing a large group of girls at the end of the corridor, Sakura sighed. Sasuke's fan-girls. They'd been giving her grief all week now, although she surprisingly never retaliated like everyone expected her to. Why? Not only because she couldn't, but also because Sakura refused to lower herself to their level. If they had a problem with her because of her relationship with Sasuke, then that was their problem. Not hers. She wasn't about to stop dating him to make them go away. Hell no.
They were whispering to each other and sending glances over in their direction, their eyes narrowing when they noticed Sasuke leaning a little closer to Sakura. What the hell? It wasn't like she could control him, so why were they acting like Sasuke's actions were her fault? Then again, it was painful trying to think like a fan-girl and Sakura still felt embarrassed by the fact she used to be one of them.
It was nothing she couldn't handle, though. It was just annoying how persistent they were.
"What are you doing this weekend?"
Tearing her eyes away from the fan-girls, Sakura looked up at Sasuke. "Nothing special, I don't think. You?"
He shook his head. "I want to take you on another date."
She smiled. "Then ask."
Much to her amusement, the tips of Sasuke's ears turned pink along with his cheeks. It always gave her a sense of accomplishment when she managed to make Sasuke blush, because it took quite a lot to make something like that happen.
"Will you go on a date with me on Saturday night?"
"Sure. Where are we going this time?"
Sasuke seemed to think about it for a moment, moving closer to her as he did so. "How about the cinema?"
"There's this movie that came out the other day that I really need to see."
There was a smile on his lips and it widened ever so slightly at her enthusiasm. "Then it's settled."
"And I'll pay for half this time."
He paused. "Sakura–"
"Please." She couldn't believe she was begging to pay for half a date. "Let me pay half, Sasuke."
He was frowning at her now, seeming displeased. "I was told that it's always the guy who pays otherwise it isn't a date."
"Who the hell said that?" Sakura laughed. "That's so old fashioned and cliché."
"Itachi."
"…Oh." That explained things, then. The few times she'd spoken with Itachi, he'd seemed quite traditional and was definitely a gentleman who respected women greatly. "Just because I'm offering to pay half, it doesn't mean it won't be a date."
It honestly startled her when Sasuke's stance shifted and he caged her in against the lockers, a hand on each side of her head so that she couldn't escape. He towered over her, at least a good foot taller than herself. It was so unlike the days when they were twelve years old, when they'd been more or less the same height – when she'd actually been taller than him, at one point.
"Sasuke–"
"I want to pay."
"This really isn't the place for something like this." She blushed heavily and pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away. He was unmovable. "What if a teacher sees us–"
"We're not doing anything inappropriate." He smirked down at her flustered features, leaning just a little bit closer. "Just talking."
Her eyes went to the ceiling above them, praying for the strength to deal with this side of Sasuke. It was one she'd never seen before and even though part of her liked it, it was too risky to act this way at school. She needed to keep her record clean and the last thing Sakura needed was a teacher busting her for public displays of affection on a school corridor.
While her eyes looked anywhere but at Sasuke's, Sakura felt her blush deepening when she noticed his fan-girls openly glaring at her. Great, now he'd done it. If they hadn't hated her before then they definitely did now. Oh well. This… conversation between her and Sasuke was like a huge middle finger at them and since she couldn't react violently like her mind and body wished she could…
Instead of pushing him away, Sakura's hands fisted in Sasuke's blazer and she smiled up at him innocently when he tensed at the change, his eyes widening a fraction.
"What's the matter, Sasuke-kun?" When he remained unmoving, shocked, her smiled slipped into a smirk. "So it's settled, then. I'm paying half."
He quickly came back to himself, one hand lowering from the lockers and playing with the ends of her hair, stunning her for a second. "Think again, Sakura."
Why did her name sound so… so good when he said it like that? Thankfully, before their new game could go on, the bell that told them class would be starting in five minutes rang. But then Sasuke did something that made her heart stop. He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer to him and when there was only a couple of inches between their faces, he smirked down at her.
"This conversation isn't over, Sakura."
And then he left, making her collapse backwards against the lockers.
What the hell was that?
He was losing his mind. That was the only logical explanation she could come up with. Since when was Uchiha Sasuke – the guy who was always serious, always so stoic and aloof – playful? Since when did he show affection? Granted, he'd been showing her affection quite a lot lately, but not nearly as intense as that and definitely not in public areas such as the school corridor. What had gotten into him? Did she do something to make him act that way?
Standing up straight and turning around, she sighed and opened her locker. Was she complaining? Not… Not really, now that she was thinking about it. Only now did Sakura realise she enjoyed the attention Sasuke had given to her. She had enjoyed it in the library and she had enjoyed it just now. Surely that couldn't be right–
"Oi!"
Her locker door being slammed shut on her hand startled Sakura, causing a horrific pain to flare up, causing her to drop her books and suddenly, a hush fell over the entire corridor. Everybody turned to see what had happened, all expecting it to have been Sakura who was slamming locker doors shut and getting angry.
But they were wrong.
"What makes you so special, huh?"
She turned around and stared at the girl confronting her with wide eyes. What the hell was her problem? So far, none of Sasuke's fan-girls had actually approached her, although they had sent her horrible glares and things such as that. This was the first one to have actually approached her.
"Are you an idiot?" somebody in the gathering crowds snapped. "She'll pulverise you!"
Great. And people still thought of her anger as monstrous and terrifying. Well, everyone except for this girl, apparently.
Her neatly styled, long hair was a deep shade of chocolate brown and it made her hazel eyes seem stunning, especially against her tanned skin. The eyes currently glaring holes into her face were exotically slanted, though framed with false eyelashes. Now that Sakura was getting over her shock, she could also see that the girl was so tanned because of false tan and not a natural one, as it had a strange orange tint to it. Kind of risky considering what the weather was currently like. She hoped it wasn't the instant stuff.
"Excuse me?"
She was smaller than herself, though her figure was definitely curvier (even in their unflattering uniforms). However, despite her beautiful appearance, she was not somebody Sakura recognised or knew, so there was no name to put to the face.
And then, anger began to wash over Sakura as the shock finally left her system. Who did this brat think she was, approaching her in such a way? Her hand was already aching from having the locker door slamming against it just before she moved it away, saving it from being crushed. Not only that, but all of Sakura's books and papers were littering the floor, which only added to her dangerously building anger.
Deep breaths.
If she fought back, she would lose her place at Suna's hospital and that couldn't happen. Not after all the hard work she'd done. So many people would be disappointed with her, including herself.
"You heard me," the brunette snapped, her hazel eyes narrowing. "What makes you so special? You're not even pretty or his type."
So she was definitely a fan-girl of Sasuke's. Perfect. "It has nothing to do with you."
"Oh?" She chuckled humourlessly, her small fists trembling. "So you're admitting that you and Sasuke-sama are together?"
Sasuke-sama? When had they started calling him that? Wisely, Sakura held back her sudden need to laugh and instead covered her mouth, pretending to cough in order to disguise it. Oh Gods, that was just too funny. Back when she had been a fan-girl, 'Sasuke-kun' had been enough. There was none of that Sasuke-sama bullshit going on.
"Look–"
"And then you come in here, whoring around and throwing yourself at him to anger us–"
"Oi!" she snarled warningly.
Sakura's face began to turn red and not just with embarrassment. Her anger was reaching dangerous levels and she could feel her heart beating all around her body, she could feel her hands shaking with the need to grab something and beat the shit out of it. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and it took Sakura a few moments to realise adrenaline was rushing through her veins. Everyone else mattered very little at that moment in time. All she wanted to do was grab the bitch's collar, yank her forward and slam her fist right into her face until she–
Everything came to an abrupt halt when another girl shoulder barged the brunette, knocking her backwards and instantly, in retaliation, she grabbed the attacker's shoulder.
"What the hell is your–"
The girl who had shoulder barged her turned her head to the side, narrowing a single, blue eye. "Do you have a problem?"
All anger deflated and Sakura couldn't help but stare in shock at the blonde's back, her long and straight platinum hair falling to her waist. "…Ino."
When there was no reply, when the girl merely pulled her hand back and stared in just as much shock as Sakura, Ino's eyes narrowed further and she turned more fully, towering over the brunette. "I asked if you have a problem."
"N-No, Yamanaka-san!"
"Do you have a problem with Sakura?"
Always so intimidatingly calm, Sakura thought numbly. Ino had always managed to snuff out Sakura's anger like she was simply blowing out a candle but at the same time, she was capable of erupting her anger to greater and more terrifying heights.
"N-No!"
"It doesn't look that way to me," Ino retorted coolly, raising a fine, blonde eyebrow. "What's she done to you?"
There was a pause and during that pause, Sakura took a risk of glancing at the crowd, who were now murmuring amongst one another. She couldn't make out any familiar faces other than the guy Ino always stuck with nowadays. He was blank faced, his dark eyes never leaving Ino's back for a moment, like he was making sure she could handle the brunette and not get hurt in the process. Sai, Sakura believed his name to be, although she didn't know his surname.
When the girl eventually answered, her answer had the other fan-girls yelling in agreement, "She's with Sasuke-sama."
Again with the Sasuke-sama, Sakura thought with amused disbelief.
"And? That doesn't give you a right to bully her."
The brunette took a step forward, flushing red with anger and in response, Ino stepped in front of Sakura and dropped her bag to the floor so that her hands were free, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"Do anything to her and I'll mop the fucking floor with you."
"Ino–"
"Be quiet, Sakura," the blonde muttered, her eyes never leaving the other girl's. "You'd do the same for anybody in this school and I think it's disgusting," she raised her voice, her glare becoming more vicious, "that nobody stepped in to help you."
She shook her head. "But I–"
"I know about your position at the hospital," Ino suddenly snapped, glancing over her shoulder at Sakura. "And you're not messing it up now, Sakura. Not over something like this. Not over him."
How could Ino know about her opportunity to work at Suna's hospital for the summer? Only the teachers, her mother, Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke knew about it. Had one of them blabbed? No, no they couldn't have because it'd be all around the school by now.
Before she could say anything else, Ino was facing forward once more and staring the brunette down. "So? Are you going to back down or am I going to make you?"
Another pause. Then, so very obviously reluctantly, the brunette took a step backwards and then another one until she was once more with a group of Sasuke's fan-girls. They greeted her like mother hens, checking her over for any marks despite there not even being an actual fight. And just as Sakura was about to thank Ino, just as the crowds began to disperse, the blonde picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, walking back over to Sai.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?" Sakura heard Sai ask as they walked away. "Art is in the other direction–"
"Don't argue with me right now, Sai. Just follow me."
Sakura leaned back against her locker once more, feeling like she had absolutely no energy left. She should have known that being with Sasuke would mean his fan-girls would have it out for her. But how was she to know that they would actually try something like that, or try anything at all? It made her uneasy. Would there be more attacks like those? Would they gang up on her when she least expected it?
Would her anger feel like it was about to explode out of her again, or would it be worse?
That was what worried her the most. Her anger. What if they did try something again and there was no Ino around to defend her, to blow out her anger? She'd… She would lose her position at Suna's hospital and possibly her scholarships, too. Sakura's chest ached at just the thought and to add to her humiliation, her eyes started to sting.
Not here.
Sasuke's fan-girls were still at the opposite side of the corridor, still sending her nasty sneers.
Don't do this here.
He had a free now, but nobody that he really wanted to spend it with, did. After looking at Naruto's timetable, he knew the blond had gym while Sakura had some guy named Iruka. That class was a double, but he hadn't seen what it actually was. All it had said on her timetable was 'Advanced M'. Perhaps it was advanced maths? Who knows? Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if it was, considering how smart Sakura was now that she was putting her brain to use instead of obsessing over him.
Oh, he didn't regret his actions only a few minutes ago. In fact, Sasuke wouldn't mind doing it again. It had felt so… There were no words to describe how right it felt to show others that Sakura was his. He enjoyed spoiling her with attention both in front of others and when they were alone. In a way – no, not even in a way. Sasuke was proud to have Sakura as his and he had only just discovered that feeling just now, when he had more or less had her pinned against her lockers.
Opening his locker, he placed his books inside, pausing for a moment when he noticed a few students rushing around the corner he'd just come from.
"Tch."
Another fight, most likely. Thankfully, his altercation with Uzumaki Karin hadn't been reported, meaning it hadn't reached his father's knowledge. It would have been embarrassing having to explain to his father why he got into the fight, since he would have to tell him that it was all staged and only a part of his plan of getting Sakura to hear him out.
Fights, in his opinion, were a waste of time and pointless, especially school fights. All the girls did in a fight was pull at each other's hair or roll around on the floor like idiots – sometimes even the guys did that. Stupid, if you asked him and definitely not worth the punishment you'd receive.
"Has she started laying into her yet?"
She? Sasuke looked over in the direction of the students who were turning the corner, going onto the corridor he'd left Sakura on. He entertained the thought only briefly of Sakura being the one getting into a fight until he turned back to his locker. It wouldn't be her. She knew better than to risk her opportunity like that and besides, who would dare to start a fight with the most angry and violent girl in the school?
"No, man. Some other girl's gotten herself involved. I think she's going to fight for her!"
"What? Why?"
Idiots. If they kept yelling like that, then they were going to attract a teacher's attention.
"I want to see her fight! She's supposed to be freakishly strong!"
Something in Sasuke's gut twisted but he refused to focus on it. It wasn't Sakura. If she knew what was good for her, then she would already be in Iruka's class, where she would remain until home time. If she was anywhere else or doing anything else, then she would be kissing goodbye her position at Suna's hospital and Sakura was way too smart to do something as stupid as that.
And then just as quickly as it had begun, all of the students started to retreat, making Sasuke sigh. If that had been Sakura, it would've been a hell of a lot bigger and longer unless a teacher managed to get involved. He'd never say it to her face, but Sakura reminded him of a pit bull. Not in appearance. But with her anger. Like a pit bull's jaw, Sakura's anger was difficult to stop or put out. Like when a pit bull locked its jaw once it was biting something, Sakura's anger was difficult to get in the way of or stop. You had to do something to shock her to momentarily distract that anger and during that moment, you had to drag her away from whatever was getting her angry. Well, that was what Sasuke had discovered, anyway. In their short relationship, Sakura had only gotten angry once (twice if you included the elevator incident). Sasuke had managed to surprise her and during that distraction, he'd been able to drag her away from Karin, effectively stopping a serious fight between the two girls.
"You might want to go and defend your girlfriend."
He turned around at the voice, recognising it easily and stood before him was none other than Yamanaka Ino and by her side was a guy he knew to be called Sai.
And at Ino's words, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? I was with Sakura two minutes ago."
Instead of answering, she turned her back on him and began to walk away with Sai a second behind her, though she paused for just a brief second to murmur over her shoulder, "Fan-girls."
That was all she needed to tell him to make Sasuke sprint off down the corridor, back the way he just came.
She was picking up her books and papers when Sasuke reached Sakura only half a minute later and he couldn't help but scowl at how exhausted she seemed. Only moments ago, she had been all smiles and laughs, had seemed so very happy yet a little flustered.
Who the hell had upset her?
Sakura didn't even look up at him as Sasuke threw his bag against the lockers and knelt in front of her, helping her with the papers and books. One of them was quite badly damaged, he noticed with a sigh of annoyance. It was the text book for Iruka's lesson apparently, as it had a massive 'advanced' title on the front of it. No doubt the book was expensive, too. She would have gotten it free at the beginning of the year like the rest of them did, but if anybody damaged the school's property, then they had to replace it. Naruto had had to replace many books already and they definitely weren't cheap.
"…Thanks."
"Who did this, Sakura?"
In an instant, her head snapped up and she paused in accepting the books, her wide eyes meeting his. "Sasuke?"
"Who upset you?"
"It–"
"Don't tell me that it doesn't matter," he growled, already knowing what she was about to say. "Who did this?"
Silently, her green eyes slipped off to the side and as they did, Sasuke made sure to follow her line of vision, his dark eyes narrowing at the sight of his fan-girls. Most of them were in his classes. Also, he didn't need to ask 'which one' because it was obvious which girl it had been who confronted Sakura. It was the one who was receiving special treatment, the one who was being treated like she was a God for daring to approach Sakura the way she had. He knew that girl. She was in his English class and vaguely, Sasuke could remember her given name, although he wasn't about to honour her by saying it.
He stood up and grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling her to her feet and she seemed to catch on immediately, because Sakura's eyes suddenly widened further and she tugged on her arm, trying to pull away.
"Sasuke, don't–"
"Oi," Sasuke addressed the brunette rudely, pulling Sakura to his side and forcing her to be still. "I think you owe my girlfriend an apology."
Sakura froze at the word girlfriend and he knew it would be because he hadn't officially asked her to be his girlfriend yet. However, that was how he saw Sakura. Not a girl he was dating or trying to fuck, but his girlfriend.
"Y-Your girl…?"
He smirked. "Yeah." The smirk slipped away only a second later. "Now apologise to her."
They had never refused him before and it was obvious they were torn about what to do because many of them hesitated and averted their eyes when he looked at them directly, chewing on their bottom lips nervously.
"But–"
"There are no 'buts'. You apologise to her and buy another text book since you destroyed hers, or I'll make it so that none of you get into the colleges you want."
They all paled. Some even had tears in their eyes.
Sakura was still in shock about the whole 'girlfriend' thing.
His dark eyes met hazel and he raised an eyebrow. "And don't think I haven't noticed this." Sasuke raised Sakura's red hand. "If Sakura had hit you, you wouldn't be standing right now, so you obviously did something to harm her. Just for that, I'll add in a bonus of a charge for assault."
The brunette was practically shaking now and like some of the others, tears were filling her eyes. "Please don't, Sasuke-sama! I… I lov–"
He sneered at her, "Apologise."
There was reluctance for a moment as the girl truly thought about it before she faced Sakura. "I-I'm sorry for slamming your hand in the locker. And I'm sorry for trying to start a fight and saying the things that I did. I'll repay you for your text book as soon as I have the money." She lowered her head in a bow. "Please forgive me!"
"Sakura?"
She was watching the girls with wide eyes as they all quickly followed the brunette's example, all of them apologising and asking for forgiveness. "I-I forgive you," Sakura murmured, still in shock.
"Now that's settled," Sasuke muttered, narrowing his eyes once more, "spread the word: if any of you screw with Sakura, you'll have me to answer to. You're lucky she didn't fight back today."
They nodded shakily.
"Go."
And at his order, they all dashed off to wherever they needed to be, not even daring to glance over their shoulders at the couple.
"Sasuke, that was un–"
He pulled her against him, stunning her for a moment before Sakura sighed and returned the hold, closing her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Come on." Sasuke reluctantly pulled away and guided Sakura back over to their things. "I'll explain to Iruka why you're late."
"Iruka-sensei…" Sakura groaned, rubbing her face tiredly. "I'm way too tired for maths right now."
Well that answered his question about what lesson her double was. "Do you think he'll give you the lesson off and still mark you as in?"
It was sadly that she shook her head. "I doubt it. He's the one who's pushed me so hard to receive my placement at the hospital."
Sasuke merely sighed.
"So you of all people should know how much Sakura needs this break."
He'd been talking to Iruka for well over a minute now, ignoring Sakura whenever she tried to butt in. Iruka seemed to be doing the same after just one concerned glance at her exhausted features.
Eventually, he sighed. "I can't give you time off because you're tired, Sakura and I also can't mark you as present, either. I would be breaking so many rules."
Sakura nodded quickly yet sadly. "I understand, Iruka-sensei." Just as she was about to go into class however, Sasuke pulled her back again, much to her annoyance. "Will you stop tugging me around? My hand–"
At the mentioning of her hand, Sasuke raised it just as he had earlier. "She was attacked by another student." Iruka's eyes went wide at the swelling of Sakura's hand. "And Sakura didn't even fight back because she didn't want to risk the opportunity she's been given. However, I don't think she's in any state to be learning right now. She's too stressed and tired."
The man was torn and it was obvious to them both, especially as he glanced inside of the classroom through the window of the closed door. It was only half full today due to most of his students not bothering to turn up for the lesson. After a moment, he turned back to the two teenagers. "I need to speak with your mother before sending you home, Sakura," he told her seriously, pulling his school phone out of his pocket. "Can you drive?"
She shook her head.
"I can," Sasuke stated. "I also have a free now."
Iruka's eyes narrowed for just a second. "All right. Once you've dropped Sakura off at home, come back to me. I will be timing you to make sure you're not trying to get her to bunk off with you." The Uchiha nodded once, thinking it was a fair enough deal. "You take her straight home and you come straight back, is that understood?" Again, Sasuke nodded. "Sakura, please give me your mother's mobile number."
It was only moments later that he was speaking with Mebuki, informing her of what had happened and that he was unofficially allowing her to go home early, though marking her down as present for the class so that it didn't make any negative changes. He also asked her if it was okay with her and if she was comfortable with Uchiha Sasuke taking her home, to which she replied positively.
"It's sorted." Iruka sighed after hanging up before giving Sakura a serious look. "I'm taking a great risk by allowing this, Sakura. Do not make a habit of it and do not make me regret it."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
He nodded once, gesturing to the exit at the bottom of the corridor. "Go out that way and try not to let anyone see you. I know it means going out in the rain, but going through the school when you're supposed to be in my lesson is just asking for trouble."
They left as soon as they were dismissed and ran to Sasuke's car as quickly as they possibly could.
They were both soaked by the time they reached her apartment and Sakura couldn't stop the shakes that were taking over her body.
"Do you want to come in and dry off?" she asked him without thinking about it.
He didn't seem as cold as she was, but the slight tremor that faintly ran through his body said otherwise. However, despite being cold, he reluctantly shook his head. "No, I need to get back to school. Iruka is timing me, remember."
Nodding, she reached out to him, enjoying the small smile he gave to her before he yanked her against him, wrapping his arms around her. Yes, Sasuke was definitely colder than he was letting on and in response, Sakura tightened her arms around him, trying to share what little body heat she had left.
"Thanks for today, Sasuke," Sakura told him quietly, softly. "For coming to find me and looking after me–"
"You're my girlfriend," he answered simply. "Of course I'm going to look after you."
His reply had her smiling. "You know… You haven't officially asked me to be your girlfriend, yet."
Sasuke pulled back ever so slightly, reminding Sakura of earlier that day with the way he was watching her. "Will you?" he asked quietly, the sound of the pouring rain they could so clearly hear, because of the balcony, almost covering his voice. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
He was leaning forward, she realised with a building sensation in her stomach that she couldn't describe. Along with that weird sensation was the tightening of her chest and the mood suddenly felt too serious for her to joke around or tease him, so all Sakura was capable of doing was nodding. And in response, Sasuke leaned further forward. He was so close now that she couldn't really make out his features and Sakura had an awful feeling that she was going cross-eyed. Surely that wasn't attractive on her? Then again, Sasuke would be doing the same considering how close they were and she couldn't really tell whether or not he was going cross-eyed. She was probably thinking too much into it–
His eyes dropped to her lips, making her heart stop.
And even though earlier that day, Sakura had been certain that she wasn't ready for him to kiss her, because of him standing up for her the way he did and pretty much announcing that they were together, she didn't stop him as his lips descended to hers. It was just a simple kiss, a simple peck on the lips, but at the same time, it felt like so much more than that and Sasuke pulled away much too soon.
Her fingers tangled in his soaked blazer and not even a second later, he was leaning forward once more, this time making the kiss deeper, pressing his lips to hers more fully. They moved against hers without hesitancy, without uncertainty and it didn't surprise her in the least. Uchiha Sasuke was not uncertain or hesitant. He was dominant, he was strong and demanding.
And she was happy to discover in that moment that, in his own way, he was passionate.
When they parted, they didn't move too far from each other, instead keeping their foreheads together. Vaguely, she wondered if it was painful for Sasuke, leaning forward so much. He'd definitely grown since he was twelve years old, after all and he was at least a foot taller than her.
"That should have been our first kiss."
She nodded silently in agreement.
Straightening up ever so slightly, Sasuke cupped her cheek once more before kissing her forehead.
"See you later."
With that, he left.
And not for the first time, Sakura felt massively frustrated with the fact he kept touching her forehead.