A/N: As for those who are asking, sorry I can't reply soon 'coz you either left an unregistered account name, or you forgot to put your email. Here's my answer regarding Karin and Sasuke. Yes, Karin likes Sasuke, that's obvious but HELL NO! Sasuke DOES NOT like Karin.

Ironies of Life

They all remained silent as Sarutobi let what the Uchiha said register in his brain. "You mean to tell me that you fought against two students from another school?" Sasuke sighed and leaned back on the back rest of the chair the principal's office provided as he gave a nod, eyes glancing down at the floor. Only Naruto, Hinata, Sakura and he were in the office, since the rest didn't really know what happened.

"What am I supposed to do then?" the old man said, sighing exasperatedly. "I do have a proposition, but I'm not sure you'll be up for it…" all four looked at him. "I have a friend who needs four students. I can provide Sakura and Hinata due to their performance in class; you wouldn't be a problem, Sasuke, if only you didn't have these fights." Sarutobi looked at all of them. "But I suppose your grades aren't wavering, so you can go with them. As for Naruto…"

"What? Just because I'm not a top student doesn't mean I'm flunking!"

"Yes, well, aside from that, I don't think I can excuse you, so instead, I may as well send another student." He smirked inwardly at Naruto's expression. "But it's not fair that he gets to go…" Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto. "Dobe." He muttered. Hinata felt bad and raised her hand a bit. "Um, sir..?" Sarutobi gave a nod. "Why don't I just stay here and help Naruto-kun with his academics? Besides, Sasuke-san and Sakura-chan are in a relationship, it'll be easier for them to work it out at your friend's."

"Good point." An idea clicked in Sarutobi's head as he remembered Kakashi talking to Orochimaru the other day about getting tired of having to witness "SasuSaku" moments when the two aren't in a real relationship. "Alright then, I'll send Sasuke and Sakura over, along with Sai and Kurumi."

Chapter 11: Jealousy

He twitched, not only did the principal tell them that they were sent for a photo shoot, but that geezer even had Kurumi to tag along!

"I can't believe I'll be with my dearest Sasuke-kun!" Kurumi chirped, having a vice-like grip on the Uchiha, completely ignoring Sasuke's protests. Sakura, from behind, sighed and smiled slightly as Sai whistled in awe. "I have to hand it to the captain's patience; he sure can tolerate that girl."

"On the outside, yes." She answered, giggling. "But inwardly, Sasuke-kun's most probably planning her death." Sai, being a good friend, smiled. "I think I know how to get you and Sasuke-san alone." Sakura blinked, looked at Sai as he walked over to Kurumi and pretended to scrutinize the girl's hair. "Oh dear, Nagasaki-san, is that a bug on your hair?"

Sasuke was about to ask what he was talking about when Kurumi screamed and unlatched herself from Sasuke as she began yelling at Sai, telling him to get rid of it as the said boy pretended to look for the bug. While Kurumi ran around with Sai following, Sakura and Sasuke were left to sweat drop at the scene.

"You know, they'd make a cute couple…" Sakura commented with a laugh as Sasuke smiled slightly, finding the two amusing when together. "I know what you mean." They continued staring at the two before Kurumi finally realized that there was no bug that she ended up hitting Sai, who only laughed, repeatedly.

They entered the studio in their high school uniforms, showing a pass from the principal to the guard who thought they were skipping classes. However, as soon as the security saw Sasuke, he immediately let them in, and the moment Sasuke realized where they were, he didn't know whether to smirk because he can escape being Kurumi's partner in some pair shots, or to groan because the studio they entered is run and owned by his very own mother.

"May I help you..?" A photographer asked, not really looking at them as he adjusted his camera, hoping for the volunteer models or the people that his boss, Mikoto, told him she'd send over. "Hey Shisui-niisan…" Sasuke greeted, smiling slightly when the man stiffened before facing them with a big grin upon seeing who was standing there. "Hey! Sasuke, little bro! What's up?!" he asked, approaching and asking for a high five from his best friend's little brother.

"The ceiling?" Sasuke replied, slapping his hand against his second older brother. "Heh, I see Itachi told you to say that when I ask. What're you doing here anyway?" Sasuke gave a shrug as he explained that his principal sent them. "So, you're the guys aunt Mikoto was talking about?"

"Probably, knowing how mom and dad are close to Sarutobi-sensei, I bet there's a reason he sent us here. And also since it's a favor or something…"

"Oh, okay," he leaned closer to the younger Uchiha. "What's banshee doing here?"

"Ask the principal, I really have no idea." Shisui nodded and turned to Sakura who was staring at them that he smiled and turned back to Sasuke. "Is this Sakura?" Sasuke nodded and Shisui whistled in awe. "Nice pick bro," he patted the boy's shoulder. "You two fit." And he gave a thumb's up as Sasuke laughed nervously. "So, you're our photographer?"

"Yep."

"Good, you can keep banshee away from me…"

Shisui chuckled and waved at the three. "Sorry for ignoring you, I'm Uchiha Shisui, your photographer for the day, best friend of Sasuke's aniki, and also, what I say, goes, got it?"

Sakura and Sai nodded but Kurumi laughed, smirked and raised her head high. "What makes you think you get to order me around just because your Itachi-niisan's best friend?"

"FYI Nagasaki-banshee, you have no right to call my best friend with a 'nii-san' attached to it, that's only reserved for Sasuke, his friends, and of course the little cherry blossom over there." He gave a wink to Sakura who blushed when she heard what the boy said. "You can call me 'Shisui-niisan' too, Sakura."

"H-hai…"

"Anyway, let's get started. Sasuke and…" he turned to Sai who introduced himself as Shisui nodded. "…Sai, you two get changed over there. As for you two ladies, your dressing room's over there. My assistants already have the clothing picked out, so put them on and we'll do some shoots. Single, group and pair. No complaints when I take the shot and pick the pairs, got it?" Sakura nodded as she went to the female dressing room with Kurumi muttering a few words as Sasuke and Sai went to the other.

"Hey, Sai..?"

"Yes captain?" Sai asked back with humor as Sasuke shook his head with a small smile as they began to change into the clothing set out for them in their respective cubicles. "Thanks for earlier."

"No problem, you're my captain and Sakura's my friend, it's the least I can do."

"Hn, but don't you think you're torturing yourself with banshee?"

"Nah, I like to annoy her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you two get together." Sasuke muttered, causing Sai to laugh.

They stepped out of the dressing room as Shisui adjusted everything. "Your mom told me to take shots with you guys wearing clothes suitable for the rainy season, as well as the winter season since it's coming up." Shisui motioned the two girls to come out. "Alright, since Sakura's my little bro's girlfriend, they'll have to go together; I hope that's fine with you Sai." He said with a grin. Sai, of course, got what he meant. "Sure, I'll live." He said with a smile and shrugged.

"But that's not fair!" Kurumi complained.

"I don't think so, Kurumi." They all looked up as Mikoto came in. "As what Shisui said, my son and Sakura are in a relationship, so it's better if they do a shot together." Sasuke sweat dropped when he saw the glint in his mother's eyes. "She's been watching soap operas again…" he thought, sighing. "Better brace yourself for the poses." He whispered to Sakura who blinked confusingly. "My mom…" he muttered as Sakura sweat dropped and laughed.

"Sakura, I want you to open your umbrella and have a really bright smile to match the yellow jacket you have on, okay?" she nodded. "Pose as if you're leaning forward to cover Sasuke from the rain; your skirt isn't that short anyway." Shisui turned to Sasuke. "I want the hood of your jacket up," Sasuke did so. "Zip your coat." Shisui added.

Sasuke zipped up his white jacket and sat down as Shisui told him to. "Show me the Uchiha smirk bro!" Shisui said, readying his camera as the two posed. "Great, great!" he said. Mikoto approached the photographer. "Since this is the rainy season, I'd like a little romance picture for an article of the magazine your father owns." Sasuke had to slap his forehead mentally. "Shisui, I need them a bit wet for additional effect." Shisui motioned his assistants to shower the two with water droplets, making them look as if they were caught under the rain.

"Put your hood down and unzip your jacket Sasu-chan."

He obeyed his mother as Mikoto turned to Sakura. "Stand straight, look at Sasuke and then drop your umbrella." She blinked before doing what she was told to do. "Alright, Sasuke, face her and looked at her in a really serious way! I'm sure you get what I mean." He muttered something under his breath and did what he was told. "Of course, to make it look like she dropped her umbrella from shock, I want you leaning down towards her, eyes half-closed…"

Later, the couple found themselves in an awkward position. Sasuke had his eyes half-closed, gazing into Sakura's orbs, one arm around her waist, the other on her cheek while her hands were pressed against his chest, her face red and eyes wide. "She has it easier… I have to act as if I'm really going to kiss her!" he thought, cursing afterwards. Shisui clicked away as Mikoto made them pose some more, from one romantic picture to another.

"And the final shot for this!" she said. "I want you two to look like you're really going to kiss!"

"WHAT?!" They, as well as Kurumi, yelled. "Oh come on, no need to be shy!" she ushered the two at the same time, blocking out Kurumi's whines. Sakura tugged at Sasuke's sleeve. He turned to her, seeing how she gave him the "do-it" look and he sighed, giving a nod and leaning down to her, lips only a few centimeters apart. His arms were wrapped around her waist while hers were around his neck. Mikoto told Sasuke to bend forward a bit and had Sakura leaning back. Their eyes were closed and they really looked like they were about to kiss.

"Okay! Got it! Get changed into the other set of clothing while we take some shots of Sai and Kurumi." Shisui said. The two nodded and headed towards their respective dressing rooms, all the while hearing Kurumi whine and Sai annoying the heck out of her. "I wouldn't be surprised if those two-"

"Get together?" Sasuke finished for her. She looked at him as he smirked. "I already said that to Sai earlier." She laughed and slapped him on the arm lightly. "You really think Sai deserves the torture?" he shrugged. "He said he loved annoying her, since he's having fun bugging the girl."

"Pass it, pass it! Come on!" Kiba yelled as he got the ball and made his way towards the court. From the side, Shikamaru yawned as Zabuza remained standing, arms crossed and eyes looking stern as ever. "Where the hell is Sasuke anyway..?" Shikamaru muttered. Zabuza looked down at the boy who was squatted on the floor. "The principal sent him, Sakura and Sai on an errand." The vice captain looked up. "And you're fine with that?"

"It's not in my hands, the principal himself said so."

"But last time they got detention, you blew your top, even if the principal was the one who told you that info."

"…Shut up and get back to observing the game to come up with strategies."

"Troublesome." He murmured, eyeing the team. He hated it when Sasuke wasn't there. It just meant more work from him as vice captain of the team.

He flinched when Zabuza blew on his whistle and pointed at Idate. "That was a foul!" he yelled. Idate raised both arms and laughed nervously. "Sorry coach."

"Sorry isn't good enough Morino! What if you got five fouls huh? The championships are nearing people!"

"Relax coach." Everyone turned their heads to the gym door as Sasuke and Sai came in wearing their jerseys with Sakura tailing behind in her uniform, her clipboard in her arms. "The championships may be nearing but that doesn't mean we'll lose easily." Sasuke added, stretching his arms a bit as all three stopped when they reached beside Zabuza. Naruto approached them, wondering why Sai was happier than usual. "Hey, rookie, what's up?" he asked as Sai turned to him and smiled even more. "Here, take a look." He handed Naruto an envelope as the rest of the team huddled behind S7's leader when the blonde began to open it.

Sasuke glanced at them and recognized the object that Sai handed. "How did you get a copy of those?!" he asked, eyes staring widely at Sai who grinned and answered in an innocent tone. "Why, your mother of course, captain!" Sakura blinked and was shocked to see the pictures they posed for earlier, and everyone was grinning like mad and staring at her and Sasuke. "Nice shots, captain!" Kabuto said with a teasing smile. "Whoa Sakura, you look good here." Idate commented.

The couple was blushing, hard, and they just blocked out all the comments they got from the team. How they managed to ignore Kurumi's (who just arrived) whines may as well be a mystery. Never the less, they were, for once, glad that Sarutobi came to interrupt. "May I speak to the two lovebirds for a moment?" he asked as Zabuza nodded and the two quickly rushed out of the gym, not minding everyone who teased them about their poses.

Sarutobi chuckled at their embarrassed expressions when he stood in front of them while they sat on a bench that was located in the school's front garden. "Now then, I called you both to inform you two about the usual field trip we have for Juniors and Seniors." He said as the two looked up at him with questioning gazes. "Neji and Ten-Ten are in-charge of organizing in the fourth year level, and I've chosen the two of you for the third year level. Why? Well, your grades are top notch, one of you could be the valedictorian for your batch, the other being a salutatorian and since you two work together better. Not to mention, I can't get anyone else."

Sakura smiled. "That's fine with me sir." She elbowed Sasuke when she noted the frown on his face and he had to force a smile and accepted the task; even if he wasn't really looking forward to this work assigned to them. "Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei will be helping the four of you out, so don't worry. And besides, I can excuse you from school work, practice and even classes for the week. And yes, you're only given a week to prepare and finalize everything. As for where the trip will be held, Gai-sensei had suggested the Imperial Palace since he has a close friend of his who works there. And please do not inform Jiraiya-sensei about this, otherwise, he will be plotting in advance for another… inspiration for his side job." He left after the two nodded and didn't ask any questions.

"So, I guess we're stuck with each other again, huh?"

"Hn, looks like it." He said, looking up at the sky. "Let's leave early and discuss what we can plan and offer to Neji and Ten-Ten." She nodded as they picked up their things from the ground and headed out of the school gates. "Should we stay at your place or mine?" he asked when they were halfway near his apartment. "I'd say yours, I wouldn't want to hear mom gushing about us, nor would I want to catch her spying on us." He nodded as they stopped at his home. "You staying over or not?" she shrugged. "Whichever is convenient." She answered as they sat on his couch with Ame hopping beside Sakura and lying on her lap as she petted him. "Honestly, it'll be better if you stay here for the time being, it's easier to plan things. Not to mention, you wouldn't need to go back and forth from your house to mine."

"Good point." She said and stood up. "I'll call my mom first just so that she wouldn't worry of my whereabouts. Also, I'll need to get some clothes."

"You know, you can always wear mine." He smirked at her when she blushed. "I-it's fine, I wouldn't want to… bother you about it…" she trailed off when she felt him standing behind her. "Are you sure about that? Blowfish?" he whispered. Her inner kept squealing but she narrowed her eyes to keep her from being tempted to give in. "Uchi-suke! Stop seducing me will you?!" he blinked, staring as she glared at him with a really red face. He couldn't help but laugh at her. "I wasn't seducing you, gaki! I was just kidding around!"

"Well, quit it!"

"Why?"

"Because..!"

"Because what?"

"I… argh!" she marched towards the door but he pulled her back. "Alright, alright, I'll stop joking around." She squinted, as if scrutinizing him before sighing and giving a nod. "You're such a killjoy at times…" he muttered, letting her hand go and heading towards the kitchen. "Anyway, you want anything to drink before we start?"

"Um, it's okay…" she answered, feeling a bit wet. "Hey, Sasuke, can I use your bathroom?" he nodded and she quickly headed for the door nearby and locked it, afterwards, lifted her skirt up and pulled down her underwear. She blushed, and then yelled.

Sasuke was alarmed and quickly headed towards the comfort room and knocked, asking her what happened. "Shit! Shit!" she said. "What?!" he asked. "I can't believe this!!" she yelled. "What the hell is wrong?!" he asked, panicking. "Sasuke! I have my period!" he sweat dropped and stared. "And..?" he asked, not really sure why she had panicked like that. "I don't have pads with me!"

"Then buy some."

"No way am I going out without pads! My skirt's stained with blood and I'm having a heavy flow!"

"I'll lend you some of my clothes then."

"But what if I stain your clothes?! Neko!!"

"Damn." He thought. He hated it when she called him that; he usually gives in to whatever she requests. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the door, afterwards, crossed his arms. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

Lee stared at the things on the shelf. He kept debating which brand to buy. He sighed and picked one of the two, then tossed it in the cart as he pushed it towards another aisle. He couldn't really say no to his mom when she asked him to do the groceries for today. And he had nothing to do anyway, so he accepted the chore and proceeded to cross out the things he had already gotten. "Well, that's about it! Just one more thing before I'm completely done!" he pushed his cart to another aisle and blinked upon seeing his friend standing there, one eye twitching as a hand reached out to grab the item but pulled back again.

"Sasuke..?"

He stiffened and turned his head to Lee. The bowl-cut haired man approached him with his cart and eyed the item he was supposed to grab earlier. "Why are you buying pads..?" he turned a bit red and looked away, eyes a bit narrowed. "Sakura…" he muttered and Lee laughed then patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, my mom makes me do that at times. One of those times is now." He looked at the napkins aligned neatly on the shelves. "Well, if she's experiencing heavy flow, I'd suggest this brand and type." He pointed to one and Sasuke stared and blinked as Lee helped him out. He turned beet red when two old women passed by them and turned to stare at him and Lee, afterwards, commenting about "perverts" or "gays" or something along those lines.

"Um… Lee..?" the thick-browed man turned to Sasuke. "I'll take it from here, thanks for your help though." He quickly grabbed a basket and had four packs of pads in it since Sakura will be staying over at his place for a week.

He tapped the kitchen's table with his index finger repeatedly as he glared at Sakura's sheepish grin. He managed to convince her to borrow his clothes instead, so she was in a white long-sleeved shirt and wearing a pair of blue pants which were pretty long and loose on her. But he lent her a belt to keep it in place. "Stop that." He said. She grinned. "Sorry, it's just that, when you told me what happened in the store, I can't help but laugh despite having cramps." He closed his eyes and snorted as she giggled. "Come on! You have to admit, it is pretty funny!"

"I'm not doing you another favor for as long as I live." He looked at her and regretted it when she gave him her puppy dog eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her to form a glare, but she didn't mind it and continued to pout and look at him. "That's not gonna work." She didn't change her expression, and he knew he won't be able to endure too long. So he got up and went towards the fridge. She blinked and yelped when he threw a tetra pack at her. She looked at it and beamed, seeing that it was her favorite drink: Strawberry milk.

"Thanks neko-kun!!"

"Hn, gaki." He muttered. "At least she's not doing those puppy eyes again."

"So, what do you think of this trip?"

He shrugged. "If I was my old self, I'd say it's stupid."

"But now that you aren't…"

"I don't know, maybe a part of me is looking forward to it, and a part of me is saying 'I'd rather eat ramen the whole time then go there'."

"…You're acting like Naruto."

"I know, which is weird." He answered, shaking his head a bit. "Anyway, let's start?" she nodded as she placed the carton down for a while, still containing half of her strawberry milk in it. "Obviously, there'll be rooms, and from what I've heard about the Imperial Palace, the rooms are said to be capable to fit in two people."

"Then what we need to do first is to pair everyone in our batch up." She nodded and they started to work on the list. "We'll need to separate the girls from the boys in case other people take it the wrong way." He added, crossing out a few names, hoping that the pairs they picked would get along well with each other. "Are you sure you'll be okay with Sai?" she asked as he gave a nod. "I'd like to ask him what his plans are in torturing Nagasaki." He smirked when she giggled and punched him on his cheek playfully. "Who's acting like a gaki now?" she asked with a grin. "Hn," he eyed her drink and took it, then took a few sips, earning a surprised look from her as he finished the drink. "You're still a gaki no matter what happens." He said, smirking.

"T-That's indirect kissing!" she yelled, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at him as he raised a brow and smirked. "Hn… Gaki…" he leaned closer to her, causing Sakura to blush as he eyed her intently, a small smirk on his lips. "It's not like I haven't kissed you yet…" she blushed a darker shade of red and was frozen on the spot when he continued to stare at her like that, his smirk fading into a thin line as he watched her, thinking what she'll be doing about their close proximity. "U-uh… Um… I uh…" he smirked. "You what?"

"Stop cutting me off!" She yelled, her face still red as he laughed a bit and pulled away. "It's just too fun to annoy you, gaki."

She looked away with a pout. "I'm going to play with Ame." She muttered, heading towards the living room but seeing no blue-eyed black cat. Sasuke watched her look for his cat as an amused smile made its way to his lips. "Ame-chan??" she called out, looking high and low. "He's most probably in my room." She stopped and her eyes widened at the thought of entering his room. Come to think of it, she's only been there once, and it still feels awkward to enter his room. "Gah! I think too much!" she thought with a blush. He smirked, able to comprehend her expression. "Ame could be lying on my bed too, curled up like a ball, completely defenseless once I catch him off-guard." He enjoyed the flustered face of Sakura, knowing fully well what she was imagining with the emphasized words he mentioned. "And Ame could be playful too when he wants to be. He'd struggle and try to escape, but eventually, wouldn't be able to since I'm too fast."

"ARGH! CUT IT OUT!!" she yelled, quickly covering her mouth upon realizing her outburst. He smirked some more. "Why are you so agitated?"

Her face turned a deeper shade of red if possible, and Sasuke couldn't help but just stare at her with that smug smirk of his.

"Naruto-kun..?"

He looked up and saw Hinata giving him a worried look. He forced a smile and looked back down at his shoes; the basketball he was dribbling earlier lay motionless beside him. "You… want to sit with me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Hinata tilted her head a bit but sat down beside him on the outdoor court's floor, keeping silent as she patiently waited for him to speak up. "How long has it been since teme hasn't been directly talking to me?" she nearly jumped when he spoke, but remained calm after registering what he just asked. "Um… tomorrow will make it a week."

"I see…" he gave another bitter smile and looked up at the blue sky. "At least coach isn't yelling about his absence." He murmured, chuckling a bit as he leaned his head against the wall they had their backs on. "It really sucks to be me…"

"Eh? What made you say that?"

"I nearly got Sakura in danger because of my stupidity, and not only that, it just caused my best friend to be a bit… mad at me still - despite apologizing."

"Just give Sasuke-niisan some time Naruto-kun." She answered. "I'm sure he just needs to clear his head for a while, or maybe because he's busy with the work assigned to him by the principal." He nodded in understanding and turned to Hinata with a small smile. "Thanks Hinata-chan, you always find a way to make me feel better with only words, as well as your company." He grinned sheepishly and turned a bit red as she blushed a bright crimson and looked down with a small smile, twiddling with her fingers when she gave a nod. "You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

He smiled at her then turned back to the view before him – not that there really was much to look at. "Hey, Hinata-chan, have you eaten breakfast yet?" she shook her head. It was a Sunday morning, and she was just taking a little stroll when she spotted him. And she didn't really want to stay in the house when most of the occupants were asleep. She was an early riser after all. "Come on then, I'll treat you to breakfast." He stood up and offered her a hand that she took, afterwards, pulled her up and led her to a nearby coffee shop: Starbucks.

Upon entering through the glass doors, they stopped and eyed the couple who sat a few feet ahead of them, drinking coffee in a grandé-size Styrofoam cup, plus four small triangular sandwiches as their breakfast. Hinata blinked, tilting her head a bit as she noted the papers on the table, as well as how busy the two were in jotting a few things down, only looking up to ask or confirm something to his/her companion before going back to his/her work.

"Teme? Sakura?"

The addressed two looked up to see Naruto and Hinata there, eyeing them with wide eyes, wondering what the two were doing up so early and together. Well, it wasn't much of a surprise to see them together, but at this early in the morning..?

"What're you two doing here?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke raised a brow. "Is it a crime to be sitting here and having breakfast?"

"You know what I mean…"

"Hn. Too lazy to cook…" he muttered before going back to his papers as Sakura sighed and smiled at Naruto and Hinata. "Actually, he just wanted to take a walk outside and we craved for Starbucks' coffee upon stepping out of his house." The two just gave a nod and eyed their papers. "What are those..?" Hinata asked. The two turned to the sheets and smiled sheepishly. "Just some paperwork the principal asked us to do." Sakura answered, stacking them neatly and inserting them in an envelope, along with Sasuke's who attempted to take his papers back to finish what he was doing. "We can do this later." She whispered. "We can't let them see or know about this, otherwise, everyone will come to us and request for who they want to be their roommates." He sighed and leaned back, giving a nod as he took a sip from his drink.

Naruto blinked, squinted, then gasped and pointed an accusing finger at them. "Based from your reactions and how you hastily hid the papers, you must be planning something!" they gulped inwardly, hoping Naruto didn't figure out what they were doing. Naruto approached Sasuke closer and narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe you teme…"

"Um, listen, it's not our fault, we just can't-"

"Can't control your hormones towards each other?!" they sweat dropped at Naruto's answer. "You got her pregnant so early that you're now planning a family budget!" more sweat drops. "No wonder you both live under one roof-" he gasped and eyed them warily. "You-you're living together?!" by now, Sasuke and Sakura were beet red since all eyes were on them, and Hinata's face was turning even redder than the victims. "I… I can't believe you did that so early teme!"

Next thing Naruto knew, he was flying in the air, cursing his best friend for the kick he got from Sasuke, who had a vein popping at the side of his head and glaring at where he flew off to, leaving Sakura to tend to Hinata who was still dazed at the too much information the blonde loud mouth just blurted out. All three turned to the people who were staring at them with wide eyes, particularly on Sasuke and Sakura. The two blushed hard and tried to think of what to say.

"I can't believe you just kept saying things like those!" Sasuke scolded Naruto as the two men walked down the street, Sakura and Hinata following closely behind. "Well so-rry! You guys looked like it…" he muttered. "And did'ya have to kick me?!"

"Yes. No duh…" Sasuke replied, narrowing his eyes at Naruto as he continued walking. "Next time, don't jump to conclusions. Or better yet, just keep your mouth shut! Geez…" he ran a hand through his bangs, frustrated at explaining to the people how it was all a misunderstanding, annoyed that some doubted him. "I said I was sorry!" Naruto retorted, turning his head away with a glare. The two girls behind them just smiled sheepishly at the way the two behaved like little kids.

The whole senior and junior batch stared at the place they were going to stay in for five days. Afterwards, they had no classes over the weekend, so it was like a one week vacation. The school holds these kinds of trips for third and fourth year students – since it's sort of like a "passing-on" of rights and duties from senior to junior who will be the next "sempai" of the school. For this, the five-day vacation was made for both parties to bond with each other and explain what it means to be a "big brother and sister" to the lower levels.

"This is so cool!!" Naruto yelled! Eyeing everything as Kiba mimicked him. Shikamaru just sighed, yawned and looked up at the clouds, relieved that the day was sunny, meaning - he can take a look at the white fluffy things in the air without worrying about rain. Shino was fascinated with the different species of bugs he found as they walked pass the garden whilst Lee talked about how it was such a great experience and honor to be a senior, and will now be passing the job to the juniors. Neji sweat dropped when he noticed the waterfall-like tears on his friend's eyes. "Talk about too much drama Lee…" he murmured. "Just let him be." He turned to see his co-worker for the trip, Sasuke, who was annoyed with all the noise Naruto and Kiba gave. Neji gave a smirk at this. "I should be telling you the same thing."

Sasuke merely shrugged. "It's Lee's last year, as well as yours, so better have all the fun you can get. These two, on the other hand, still have the next year, so I won't be tolerating their behavior…"

"Yet you assigned them as roommates." A smirk was what the Uchiha replied to him. "It'll be nice to know that they can't stand each other for too long, Hyuuga. You should know how loud their snores are." Neji shuddered upon remembering their last sleepover as a group. Naruto and Kiba's snores kept him up all night, and he was even bothered at how Lee talked in his dreams. "I still can't recall how you convinced me to share my room with those fourwhile you had Shino and Shikamaru sleep in the guest room where I was supposed to tell all of you to stay…"

"Funny how it happened to be your uncle's home too, and yet you were the one who appeared to have no say in the matter."

"I hate you for that."

"I know." The two turned to the teachers who called their attention as they read out loud the names of students for a role-call, as well as the assigning of rooms and roommates. Neji had Lee as a roommate, since boys and girls weren't allowed to share the same room, and since the only guy he trusts to share a room with in his batch is Lee. Naruto and Kiba were paired up, then came Shino and Shikamaru, afterwards, Sasuke and Sai. The leader of S7, of course, couldn't help but tease Sasuke about sharing a room with his rival, to which Sasuke replied that he doesn't need to worry since he knew Sai had someone else in mind – to torture at least.

"Hey look, a boat!" Naruto pointed, grabbing Hinata, whom he spotted up ahead, and pulling her towards the lake that was surrounded by cherry blossoms. Sakura, who was with Hinata, noted Naruto rushing towards the lake that she ran after them. Sasuke, who heard his best friend, sprinted to where he was heading – knowing what his best friend will be up to. He reached the bridge, hands on the railings, glaring at Naruto as he yelled: "Dobe, will you stop that and get back in line?! We can't afford you to-" he got cut off when someone ran into him, causing him to fall forward as the person grabbed his arm but ended up falling along with him down on the lake, causing a huge splash to earn everyone's attention.

"What the hell?!" he emerged from the water, spitting out the liquid that he swallowed as he eyed the person who fell in with him. "Gaki!" Sakura glared at him after coughing out water. "It's not my fault I wasn't able to stop in time!" she argued. Sasuke sighed and shook his head, both of them swimming towards shore and trying to catch their breaths. "Dobe, get back here!" he yelled, seeing Naruto with Hinata on the boat, right on the middle of the lake.

"Nice dive teme!" Naruto yelled back, laughing hard.

"Had a nice dip, captain?"

He looked up to see Sai smiling at him after dumping his bag on the floor beside the futon he sat on. Sasuke just closed his eyes and continued drying his hair with a towel, not really bothering to answer Sai's question when the rookie of the team took out a sketch pad and some art materials. Sai turned to the open window to see the stars shining really bright that night. "It must be nice to have a little walk around." He said out loud. Sasuke stopped drying his hair and turned to the window. "I don't think so," he answered. " I smell rain."

"Really? But there isn't a cloud in sight…"

"Yeah, but rain usually comes unexpected. It's the scent of the wind that gives you the warning, as well as how strong it will blow."

"I see. Well, I'm not really gonna go out. I'm just gonna walk around the place where there's a roof." Sai got up, sketch pad and art materials in hand as he stepped out of the room, leaving Sasuke to sigh and lie down on the bed for a while. "The school just had to prevent us from bringing our Nintendo DS…" he murmured.

After a few minutes of doing nothing, he got up and decided that a walk wouldn't be too bad, just as long as he doesn't run into-

"Sasuke-kun!!"

"…Damn it."

And he found Kurumi latching herself onto his arm in a vice-like grip, gushing a lot of annoying things that he didn't care about as he walked, her tagging along with that mouth of hers that made him want to buy duct tape and use it to prevent her from talking. Problem was, he won't be able to buy that tape now, since they're all stuck in the Imperial palace.
A smile was on her face as she gazed at the stars, seated on the railings that went around the humungous dojo-look-alike palace. She closed her eyes as the wind blew against her face, blowing her long hair. "Hm, that's a nice pose, I'm sure captain will like it." She opened her eyes and turned to the new voice, seeing Sai standing there with yet, another smile, and he was sketching on his pad. "What're you doing?" she asked. Sai merely shrugged and continued his work. "Ta-da!" he showed her his new art and she blushed when he captured the exact image of her earlier. "Your boyfriend's gonna love this."

"Sai!!"

"What?"

Sakura glared at him as he sweat dropped and chuckled. "I'm gonna look around for a bit." He started to walk away as Sakura ran after him, yelling death threats all the while as he quickened his pace.

"Sai, get back here!"

"No way!"

"Sai, I said-" she got cut off when she yelped, causing Sai to turn, drop his things and catch her in time as she blushed in embarrassment. He looked down at her and laughed. "You're such a klutz!" he joked as she glared. "Anyway, the captain will kill me if you're not okay, so, are you?" she grunted and gave a nod, still glaring at him. "This is all your fault!" he only smiled in reply, amused at her childishness. "Man, at least she's with captain right now, I wouldn't need to push them towards each other after all!"

"Tch. Finally got rid of her." He muttered, skidding to a stop from his running spree. He sighed, pocketed his hands and walked around, eyes turning to the night sky as he recalled his brother saying that Sakura loved stargazing as well. "Hn. Even if we're pretending to be a couple, sometimes, I feel like we are, but…" he lowered his head. "…sometimes, I feel like… she doesn't even notice the messages and hints I've been showing…"

He couldn't get his mind off of her. He just had to tell her, but he was worried about their friendship. Even if his friends told him to go for it, he just couldn't. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way, even if a lot of evidences clearly stated that they both shared the same feelings like Naruto and Hinata does. But still…

"Why do I have a gut feeling..?" he turned around the corner of the Imperial palace, wondering how Konoha High managed to get them to have a trip, plus a five-day stay, in this place. When he looked up after hearing someone yelp, his eyes widened. There was no way he was seeing Sakura in Sai's arms, and even if her back was faced to him, Sai was looking at her, and his eyes were showing concern, and perhaps even amusement.

"…Sakura?"

Sai and Sakura heard him that they both looked at where he stood. Before anything else, Sasuke had turned and ran, unable to hear Sakura call him, because his thoughts were jumbled – and that prevented him from being aware of his surroundings right now, such as the rain that fell hard on him when he stepped out of the Imperial palace grounds, not really caring where he was heading. Because as he thought back then, it just felt good to run when you're confused, to run and escape.

It was weird; whenever it involved him and Sakura, rain would always occur. It was like a season meant for them – be it in happiness, or sadness. It, in a way, played an important role in their lives. He believes that it was there to help him, to help him feel better after running under it, to help him be refreshed after, and help him be cleansed from his pain, to wash away everything that he wants to forget. "Am I… that much of an idiot?" he asked himself, slowing down until he completely stopped, panting a bit, catching his breath as he let the rainfall soak him from top to bottom. He didn't mind if his bangs clung to his face, if his clothes stuck to his skin. He didn't care about that right now. He just wanted to be alone for now, to forget whatever caused him this grief. "There's just too much drama in life…" he closed his eyes and lifted his head, letting the tears of the heavens continue to soak him.

"I'm done for…" he whispered. "I really am in love with her… to feel this way, to be this way, to act this way…" he opened his eyes to look ahead of him as he tried to calm down and rethink things. "That was a really stupid move Sasuke…" he told himself. "I thought I said I wouldn't jump to conclusions? Tch. I'm such an idiot." His eyes were a little dazed as he turned around and walked back to the palace in a slow pace. Not in a hurry to get back, but sure that he will return, so as not to worry the others. "Heck, I just don't want her to flip when she finds out I'm missing…"

Naruto just kept cursing inwardly when he still couldn't find his best friend. He found it weird that the teme would jump to conclusions so easily. "Isn't that supposed to be me?!" he stopped when he spotted his best friend's figure approaching the palace. "Sasuke! You're such an idiot! Can't you see the rain's pouring?!" Sasuke walked pass him, his eyes looking like he was in a trance. "Teme?" he stopped and turned his head slightly to Naruto with half-closed eyes. "Gome, Naruto, but… could you… leave me alone for a while?" Naruto stared at him for a while before giving a slow nod as Sasuke headed for his room.

His mind was still clouded, the image of Sai and Sakura hugging were still in his head, and he admits, he's really jealous. Plus the fact that there's a chance that Sai may already be aware that their relationship is a fake, and that he may actually have feelings for Sakura, and vice versa. "Am I that unlucky in love?" he reached his room and made a move to slide open the door, but he couldn't when he heard Sakura talking to Sai. He was tempted to leave, not really wanting to see her, but he was feeling a bit light-headed, and he felt really sleepy. So, without much of a choice, he opened the door and stood still when both turned to him. He saw that Sakura had watery eyes, meaning she was on the verge of crying, and Sai was trying his best to comfort her. For what, he wasn't sure.

"Sasuke…kun…" she choked out, the tears in her eyes finally falling when she saw him, relief washing over her. He took a step inside, but his eyelids felt heavy that he gave in to the exhausting feeling he was having, and he could sense how his body fell forward, as he expected to get a hard hit on the floor. But instead, he felt two arms wrap around him and one hand cradle his head. His eyes opened a bit, even if his vision was blurry, he could still see the worried look the gaki sent him. "Ga…ki…" he murmured, before falling asleep, feeling the warmth coming from her.

"Sasuke no baka…" she whispered, stroking his hair, concerned showing on her facial expression when her palm felt his forehead, shocked that it was hot, not to mention, his face was a little red, and his brows were furrowed slightly, plus, he was soaking wet. "Oh no, he's coming down with a fever." She said, turning to Sai who quickly took out some dry clothes from Sasuke's bag, as well as a towel. "Um… you better close your eyes for a while." He said when he removed Sasuke's shirt to get him out of the wet clothes in order to prevent his fever from worsening.

Sakura closed her eyes and waited patiently for Sai to finish. "Alright, I'm done." She opened her eyes and looked at Sasuke. "I'm going to confront him tomorrow." She said, helping Sai in getting Sasuke onto the futon. "Go easy on him." He said. "So, I assume you'll be staying here then?" she gave a nod so he sat on his futon and started another sketch. "If you feel sleepy, just tell me okay? I wouldn't want you to get sick too, otherwise, he'll be having my head." She smiled a bit and gave a nod, then turned back to aiding Sasuke. "Neko… it sure reminds me of the time I was sick, only this time, you're the one I'm taking care of." She gave a bitter smile and stroked his head, remembering how he had a migraine before and easily fell asleep when she did this.

His closed eyes furrowed before slowly opening, blinking to adjust to the light as he turned his head slightly to the side, seeing Sai's futon folded, and the person nowhere to be seen. He slowly sat up and placed a hand on his head, trying to remember what happened the other night. "Right, I saw her with him…" he gave a sigh and leaned back on his palms, nearly jumping when he felt someone else's hand there. "Sakura..?" she was still asleep, lying beside his futon, her facial expression still showing concern as he felt a bit guilty for letting her worry.

Without any second thoughts, he pushed her bangs away, stroking her hair repeatedly as a small smile made its way to his lips. "You're really confusing me, gaki." He murmured, making a move to stand up but he felt her hand grab his arm to prevent him from doing so. "Don't." she said, eyes still closed.

"You're awake?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Then what were you planning to do..?"

"Let you lie down here for a more comfortable sleep."

She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking once again. "You're sick…" he gave a reassuring smile to her. "I'm fine." Sakura sat up and placed a hand on his forehead. "You're still warm, you're not yet well." He grabbed her hand and guided it to his cheek, letting it rest there as he looked at her in the eye, still smiling, albeit a small one. "Don't worry, I'll be fine, I don't feel so sick anymore." She hesitated for a second before lowering her head. He blinked, tilting his head a bit. "Sakura..?"

"Baka, I was worried about you last night!" she nearly yelled, letting herself fall into his arms as she cried. "Don't do that Sasuke! Don't just run away like that!" she scolded. He looked down at her, eyes wide before half-closing until his eyelids blocked his vision and his arms went around her, pulling her to him for a tighter embrace. "Sorry, usagi-chan…" she pulled away slightly and looked up at him. "…what?" she asked. He gave a gentle smile. "I jut felt like calling you a rabbit, since you get mad when I call you gaki or blowfish."

"…make up your mind." She muttered, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. "Hn. Fine, I'll stick with gaki. It suits you better."

"Why'd you run away like that?" she asked, her hands grabbing a fistful of his shirt in case he attempts to pull away. "Because…" he whispered, pulling away slightly to look at her. "I was jealous." She blinked. "I was jealous when I saw you with Sai." He answered her questioning gaze. "Even if we're not really… together, I still envy Sai. It's like you're so close to him, yet I feel like I'm only close to you because of this pretend relationship." She giggled and poked the tip of his nose lightly as he eyed her. "You're such a baka! I tripped when I was chasing him since he was teasing me again. He caught me to prevent me from hitting the floor, saying that he didn't want to be responsible for my accident, and because of the fact that a certain captain here might punish him during practice."

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "Sorry."

She smiled. "That's okay." And afterwards, stood up and stretched. "Ne, get some rest. In case you're forgetting, when we get back to school on Friday, you have a game against Sand the next day. You'll need to be in tip top shape to face Gaara." He followed her with his eyes until she left the room. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched and shook. Not only was it because of the fact that he was going to have a showdown with his rival, but also because of the fact that Sakura still hasn't noted the subtle hint of his true feelings for her. "Next time, I'm saying it. I'm gonna tell her that I love her."

To be continued…

Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 12: Sand vs Konoha vs Sound

"Anything..?"

She turned to Sasuke then back to Zaku and gave a nod. "Just… don't hurt him…"

Zaku smirked. "Come to think of it, emotional pain is better than physical pain, right guys?" his gang laughed and agreed as Zaku approached Sakura, not minding how Sasuke glared and told him to back off. What the Oto student did next made both his and Sakura's eyes widen, especially when Zaku pulled her to an embrace to prevent her from breaking the kiss.

A/N: You're all going to kill me for that, I just know it! Guys, I'm really sorry for not updating soon and if this chapter is… disappointing and not really worth reading. Plus the fact that it's too short. But I really rushed this just to be able to update for the month of June. Since senior year in high school is pretty stressful and tough, I'm down to updating this fic once a month, so the next chapter should hopefully be up in the last week of July or earlier. Just please don't pressure me in updating soon because it does not helpin improving my writing skills. Plus the fact that the chapter will come out rushed due to time pressure.