DISCLAIMER: I do not own the 'Naruto' or 'Naruto: Shippuden' series or characters!

SONG THAT SHOULD BE PLAYED DURING THIS CHAPTER: 'Charge' by Splendid

NOTE: Constructive criticism and ideas are WARMLY welcomed! No flames or mean comments, please. Saying 'No offence' only intensifies the offence felt.

Sorry for the late update – this was due to writer's block, TAFE work and other commitments. I promise to update as fast as I can :)

Enjoy :D

CHARGE

"The way you love,
Have you got a name for it?
Cause I don't understand it.
The language is an annoying necessity.
And I depend on all the regular things.
Got a list tattooed on my memory,
Of how our tryst should unfold."

SAKURA'S P.O.V

I woke up before my alarm clock could have a chance to wake me up. Then about two seconds later...

BBBBBBRRRRIIINNNGG!

Without a word, I reached over and slammed my hand down on the button, rendering everything to blissful silence. I groaned, scratching my head and stifling a huge yawn that escaped from my mouth. Then I went through the rigmarole of morning routines – such as showering, getting dressed and checking that I had all my stuff for school this morning.

"Morning, sweetheart! You sleep well?" Mom cupped my cheek affectionately as she placed a large plate of pancakes in front of me, along with a large glass of OJ. The pancakes had been decorated with strawberries and blueberries, but I ignored them morosely as I drowned my pancakes in syrup and started shovelling them down with the same gusto as Naruto would've had when faced with pancakes.

Actually any food, to be honest.

After brushing my teeth, I grabbed my school books and homework, I pecked my mother's cheek and shrugged on my burgundy red coat, tied my school shoes up, and I stepped into the slightly cold world outside, flinching as the cruel wind bit down on my cheeks. I was walking down the road towards the bus stop when something wet fell on my cheek and I looked up to see a blanket of grey clouds overhead.

Shit!

I thought and frantically ran for the nearest shelter before the rain could fall down completely. Too late.

I was caught in an icy downpour. I screamed as I rushed through the sheeting rain and I cursed myself for not thinking of bringing an umbrella.

BEEP BEEP!

I looked up at the sound of a car horn and saw to my surprise a black Mercedes convertible pull up beside me.

Sasuke's car.

The passenger window rolled down, revealing Sasuke, who was gesturing impatiently at me with his hand.

"Get in quickly!" Sasuke yelled at me. Without hesitation and squealing again as cold rain trickled down my back, I wrenched open the car door and slid into a comfortable car seat next to Sasuke who was trying and failing to keep a teasing smirk off his face.

"Thanks!" I gasped and pushed my sopping wet bangs out of my eyes so I could see. Instantly, the smell of leather and a pleasant boy scent camped out in my nose as I grabbed the seat belt and buckled in.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" I glanced behind me to the back seat and saw Naruto and Hinata sitting there both with different expressions on their faces. Hinata smiled pleasantly at me while Naruto's cheerful, tanned face was fighting a losing battle not to laugh at my misfortune. I grinned at them sheepishly.

"Hey guys!" Naruto reached forward and tugged a leaf free from where it had blown into my hair during the freak downpour. He handed it to me.

"You look like a drowned rat." He commented.

I scowled at him.

"No shit. That's what usually happens when one is caught in unpredictable weather conditions without an umbrella, you baka!" I growled, shoving him back into his seat and then facing the front. Sasuke glared at Naruto through the rear-view mirror.

"Tact is not your strong suit is it, dobe?" asked Sasuke drily as Naruto gave him the bird and I shivered from the cold. Sasuke reached forward and flicked on a switch on the dashboard to the heater and instantly I was hit in the face with warm air.

"That should help warm you up and dry your clothes." He said, keeping his focus on the road in front of him. I sighed in comfort and rubbed my cold, damp arms.

"Thanks, Sasuke!"

"You're welcome." Sasuke replied, smiling slightly. Hinata leaned forward in her seat and rested her chin on the shoulder of my car seat to speak to me.

"So Sakura, have you read the play book for English yet?" I groaned with displeasure, but nodded, with a fairly weak smile on my face. Hinata was looking forward to doing this play.

"Yeah. Naruto, Sasuke and I read it last night after dinner." I replied tiredly.

"Oh?" Hinata looked at her boyfriend in confusion and Naruto sheepishly scratched his head and fumbled around for an answer that wouldn't hurt his shy girlfriend's feelings.

"Well, I-I...um..." I decided to help my idiotic best friend out and spare him any more pain.

"My mom, Iruka-sensai, Naruto and I have been having dinner at my house for years. So you don't have to worry about anything, Hinata." I explained. Hinata grinned.

"I'm not worried. I trust Naruto." She said brightly and wrapped her arm around her surprised but happy boyfriend's arm and kissed him tenderly on his cheek.

"I'm j-just surprised S-sasuke-kun was there rehearsing with you." She added, flashing Sasuke an apologetic smile.

Sasuke simply 'hn'ed in response, clearly not fazed by Hinata's explanation. Probably used to it. Naruto mouthed his thanks at me and I rolled my eyes and waved my hand, indicating that I was his bitch or whatever.

By the time the four of us arrived in the student parking lot, my clothes were dry and so was my hair – which had dried strangely and I flushed red when I checked my appearance in the passenger side flip down mirror.

"Oh shit, I look like a human fucking cotton-bud!" I groaned and pulled my fingers through my hair, but felt Sasuke's cool fingers taking my hand away from my hair and I turned to look at him in surprise.

"Your hair is fine. Stop freaking out, it's really annoying."

I smirked at him.

"If you haven't learnt by now, Sasuke, that I'm always annoying, then you'll never learn."

This earned me an unamused glare from Sasuke and I simply poked my tongue out at him and shouldered my school bag. Getting out of the car, I was almost immediately pounced upon by Ino, who dragged me away from the car leaving Sasuke looking after us with a mingled expression of surprise, suspicion and resentment. All of which Ino ignored as she clamped her hand on my arm in an iron grip and whispered excitedly in my ear.

"So?"

"So what?" I asked suspiciously.

Ino rolled her eyes indicating to Sasuke with her head. I glanced over at Sasuke, who was waiting impatiently with Naruto and Hinata who were giving each other goo-goo eyes and probably turning his stomach at the unbearable 'cuteness' of the situation. Or at least if it wasn't turning his stomach, it certainly was turning mine.

I told you I had issues with love.

But by the time I had turned my attention back over to Ino, Tenten had also arrived on the scene and she too was holding my other arm in an iron grip. I winced in pain.

"So? What's Sasuke like?" asked Ino, waggling her eyebrows at me.

"Give us the dirty details." added Tenten.

I gaped at her in shock.

"Tenten!" But I blushed. This was apparently the wrong thing to do.

"Oooh! That good huh?" said Tenten, winking.

I scowled at my two friends.

"No. Sasuke and I have been best friends for ages." Tenten and Ino shot me disbelieving stares.

"Not from what I saw." smirked Ino. Tenten giggled in a way that was SO not like her, causing several classmates walking by to stare at her fearfully and increased their speed towards the school.

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, we've got class in about five minutes. Let's go!"

I turned and walked back towards Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto and we headed for our respective lockers to retrieve our books for our classes. Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto and I had double English after lunch, and I dreaded going into that class because it meant that we would be reading each scene from Romeo and Juliet. I also dreaded to think what Kakashi had in store for us now that we all had our roles.

My first class was Biology where our teacher, Kurenai-sensai, started lecturing to us about the sex life of a bloody flower (why the hell do we need to know that?), encouraging the more sleazy students in the class like Sai (a creepy, emotionless guy who liked to call Naruto "dickless" much to Naruto's fury and fierce insistence that he was very 'well-endowed' which caused me to blush, knowing full well that that was true.

Sai once called me "Ugly" before he changed his mind when I threatened him with bodily harm and possible dismemberment) and Kiba (who can be a really nice guy when he wasn't making wise-cracks. Seriously, he spends more time in detention than Naruto does) to make moronic and sometimes tasteless comments that usually earned them detention.

Second class was Maths, a class that Sasuke also attended, because we were both incredibly smart, where I was forced, unfortunately, to sit next to Lee who kept trying to engage me in conversation that I ignored completely. Instead, I focused on solving the maths problems our teacher had assigned us.

Once, because he knew that Sasuke was watching, Lee asked me out on a date. I looked over at Sasuke who was sending Lee disapproving glares our way, and radiating possessive vibes for me which were making me feel really uncomfortable.

Shit Sasuke, save me!

I forced down the bile building in my throat as I vehemently refused Lee's request. It seemed to do the trick, because Lee didn't talk to me for the rest of the class. However, when the lunchtime bell tolled, which caused the mad rush to get the hell out of class and to the cafeteria, because the line in there got really long, really fast – Lee accidentally-on-purpose bumped into me and blurted out a hasty apology, where after he grinned at me devilishly.

I muttered under my breath a suggestion of where he can stick that obnoxious grin – which Sasuke smirked at – and I picked up my books that had been knocked to the ground by Lee, and I headed back to my locker. I dug around in my pocket for my locker key and found in surprise, a foreign piece of thick paper that had been folded in half and shoved into my pocket without me feeling it.

Frowning, I opened the 'card' and shrieked, reacting like the 'card' was a giant spider and I dropped it on the linoleum like a hot potato, and stared at it with complete horror and revulsion. Naruto and Hinata who were leaning against the locker beside mine and were having a conversation with me, sweat dropped at my outburst and blinked stupidly at the card lying on the ground. Hinata picked it up and opened it.

Instantly she paled at what was inside. Naruto took the card from her and opened it up – it revealed a childish self-drawn picture of Lee and myself kissing passionately and had a small note scrawled next to it in Lee's clumsy handwriting saying:

'I will wait for you my love.
That Uchiha can't take our love away from us.

Lee xx"

Naruto snorted with laughter as unbelievable annoyance, mortification and fury bubbled over in me, and I bashed Naruto over the head with my fist, sending him sprawling to the floor and cursing loudly. The card skidded across the corridor and came to rest at Sasuke's feet. Sasuke bent down and picked up the card - which strengthened my horror and mortification - and looked at the picture inside. Instantly his dark, penetrating and totally serious eyes narrowed dangerously, and he wordlessly passed the 'card' back to me.

I instantly crammed it into the nearest bin.

"The hell I can." he snapped angrily, indicating Lee's rather pathetic insistance that there was still a chance that he and I would be getting together in the distant future, and that there was no way that Sasuke had any chance whatsoever of becoming my boyfriend.

HA! More like the other way round, buster!

I noticed Sasuke glaring over my shoulder at somebody, whom I already realised was Lee, and I turned and saw Lee ignoring Sasuke completely and winking flirtatiously at me and blowing a kiss. I shuddered violently and this time Naruto's eyes narrowed to slits as both he and Sasuke growled deep within their throats. I was livid, and I balled my hands into fists, advancing on the annoying little dweeb, as Hinata desperately grabbed my arm and tried to hold me back. Lee saw the murderous looks in my eyes and Naruto and Sasuke's and instantly he turned made a runner down the corridor.

"Lee is a dead man, next class." I promised Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata. Naruto and Sasuke were nodding in agreement, while Hinata was looking worried as she clutched Naruto's hand.

My general plan of revenge against Lee was to invite him to meet me at the front of the school after school where I had a special 'surprise' waiting for him – where upon I'd 'lynch' him and tell him to give up on his stupid, pointless crush and threaten to beat him senseless so that he couldn't get up for a month, if he persisted with the pursuit.

But I needn't have worried, Sasuke had already beaten me to it, only without the violence, much to my disappointment – although you could tell he was tempted, as I sure was.

I stepped in the classroom for our double session of English and was surprised, like all the others who had entered before me that Kakashi had gotten creative and had re arranged the chairs from the desks into a giant circle in the middle of the classroom.

Alright then. I give up – what the hell is Kakashi-sensai up to?

I thought suspiciously as I walked deeper into the classroom and perched myself on one of the chairs and unceremoniously took two of my belongings and dumped them on chairs either side of me, saving one for Sasuke and one for Naruto, so it wouldn't give Lee any more bright ideas. Sasuke and Naruto came into the classroom, sharing the same suspicious glance at the way Kakashi had set up the chairs. Once everyone was present and accounted for, chatter started immediately – we believed that Kakashi would be late as usual.

Well, it wasn't the first time we had been wrong.

Somebody cleared their throat and the room went quiet as everyone looked around for the source of the noise. Then without warning, Kakashi appeared from out of nowhere and was dressed in something closely resembling 1500s clothing in the male variety that caused everybody in the room to sweat drop at the same time.

"Uh, Sensai? Why are you wearing that?" queried Tenten. Kakashi spun on the spot like a six-year-old, sending a wave of sniggers around the room.

"Demonstrating what all of you – well, at least what the boys will be wearing, girls you have different costumes, obviously – will be wearing during our study of this text."

The sweat drop increased in size.

"I'm not wearing tights!" exclaimed Kiba indignantly, jumping up from his seat defiantly. Kakashi simply grinned one of these infuriating teacher smiles at us that told everyone that 'he knew something that we had no idea about'.

"If you don't, then you will flunk my class. And I don't think your mother would be particularly happy about that. Would she?"

Kiba paled instantly and slowly sank back into his chair, shaking his head in agreement. Gaara raised his hand and when invited to speak, stood up from his chair, and with a tired expression on his face suddenly spoke out for the people who were dead-set against wearing costumes. He being one of them.

"Sensai, we will wear the costumes-" people started to protest but were silenced by the death glare Gaara shot them, because he hadn't finished speaking yet.

"-If you are willing to compromise." bargained Gaara, who was pulling a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding' face at what Kakashi was modelling for the boys.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

"Allow us to wear our school pants. That's all we ask." Kakashi concidered Gaara's request for a few moments before smiling and nodding his approval to Gaara's request.

"Fine with me. Alright everybody, find your costumes and get dressed. Make it snappy too. I know it's a double session but time goes extremely fast."

Everybody exchanged glances with each other before getting to our feet and heading towards the nearby costume rack, where upon we searched the costumes hanging there for one that had our character's name on it and then walked dejectedly to the bathrooms to change.

As soon as we returned, we went straight into the play where Karin – who was the Chorus – stood up from her seat and stomped into the middle of the circle with a sour expression on her face. I pulled a face at the costume she was wearing. Karin was now wearing a green and maroon tunic that had puffy sleeves and a black belt with a shiny silver buckle strung around her waist. The tunic had a matching balero-style cape around her shoulders and she wore olive green tights and a weird looking box shaped hat on her head. Her long red hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail.

All in all, a very masculine costume.

I smirked and Karin noticed it and threw me a filthy look before launching into her verse with a bored, droning robot type voice:

"Two households, both alike in dignity.
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny.
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."

Karin pulled a pained expression on her hawk-like face before launching into the next few lines of her verse.

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes.
A pair of star-cross'd lovers-"

Karin smirked evilly at both Sasuke and I before finishing the sentence, earning a death glare from Sasuke which she ignored completely.

"-Take their life.
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows.
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife."

"Unfortunately." Karin muttered under her breath before finishing with her verse.

"The fearful passage of their parents' rage.
Which but their children's end naught could remove,
is now the two hours traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

"God, that's a mouthful..." she cursed under her breath before taking her seat and watching the students with the roles of Sampson and Gregory getting up and doing their scene.

Then we watched and reacted appropriately when Gaara (Tybalt) and Shikamaru (Benvolio) got up and their their brawling scene and a couple of boys winced and chuckled when Gaara nearly impaled Shikamaru in the shoulder (although, I swore that I saw Gaara grin devilishly when he almost did this).

Kakashi did his bit and then Kankuro (Montague) and Tenten (Lady Montague) did their bit with Shikamaru which led into the scene where Shikamaru decided to confront and interrogate Sasuke (Romeo) about why he was acting in a depressed way: but you could tell that both boys did not like each other – which wasn't surprising because both boys had egos bigger than 'Ben Hur'.

"Good morrow, cousin." said Shikamaru cringing at being labelled as Sasuke's cousin. Naturally, Sasuke ignored the implied insult and acted like Shikamaru had merely coughed after saying his line.

"Is the day so young?"

"But new struck nine." returned Shikamaru, as he and Sasuke started circling each other as though they were a couple of lions staring each other down before one or other of them would suddenly pounce on the other and start mauling them.

"Ay me! Sad hours seem long." said Sasuke robotically. I couldn't help but notice how good Sasuke's acting was – despite the robotic way he was saying his lines. He gestured when it was required and he made the right facial expressions and moved where he needed to go without showing up Shikamaru.