x. Teach me, Sakura-sensei! .x
Summary: Sakura had originally thought that tutoring a bunch of boys afterschool would be an easy and simple way to earn extra credits for university. But she soon realized that, being constantly molested and harrased wasn't exactly what she would describe as fun. All the more when she discovered there was a teacher and a tensai student hot on her trail too. Well, isn't her life just exciting?
Pairings: Various Sakura pairings.
Rated: M
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A/N:
I don't understand why I manage to update. I'm currently dying over here. :) Good to know, eh?
This is just a few chapters late... but uh... YAY for 100+ Favs and Alerts? XD
I tried to finally do some review replies this time... (These are replies to the reviews given to the last chapter i.e. Chapter 12; so if you did review this story during the last update but the review wasn't for Chapter 12, sorry, I can't find the time to dig through all of them, though I definitely read all reviews I receive...)
SasoLOVE111: Thank you, dear. :) You know, I've actually wondered why you're always the first to review after each update... XD
Cindy Medeiros: Thanks, hehe, I'm actually considering on doing a Gaara POV for next chapter...
Hotoki-Chan124: I love how you call him Kabuto-Pedo-Teme. XD And reaaaally appreciate your support!
Britork: Thank you, there's nothing I like more than some constructive criticism! Yes, grammar has always been an issue for me, and apparently still is... and probably still will be in the distant future. XD I will definitely try to avoid such mistakes, even though if it may mean slower updates. Quality first. :D
Nikooru-sama: Temari is up to no good this time, though. ;D
kittykat6625: Thank you, dear. :)
pacchiri cherii: He should... really. *hint hint* XD
LollipopLaine: Thank you for your support~
Sakura of Darkness: Thanks, dear. :)
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Sakura was laughing with Temari when the door to the living room swished open. As she looked up, time seemed to stop; a male stood in the doorway, a visible tattoo on his forehead below his flaming red hair. Their eyes locked and the air froze at that brief moment. Sakura's expression changed instantly. Although she had certainly prepared herself for this, Sakura still couldn't hold back the shudder that ran through her body. It was shudder of terror, embarrassment and disdain all at once. She felt very uncomfortable in his presence, despite their having somewhat reconciled. Somewhat. Temari stole furtive glances over the both of them and generously decided to break the icy atmosphere.
"Ah, you've returned, Gaara," Temari grinned at her brother, "We have a guest today."
Gaara did not reply, but merely continued to stare at Sakura with an icy look, his expression showing nothing.
Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Hello, Gaara-san," she muttered without looking at him.
Temari stood up and slinging her arm over the male's shoulder, attempted to drag him into the room, "C'mon, show some respect, dear brother. After all, Sakura-chan is going to be living with us for a while."
Temari's real purpose of approaching Gaara was not to drag him into the room or to give her lovely brother a warm embrace; Temari had much more intricate calculations in her head than that. Rather, she was anticipating Gaara's reaction when he heard the news. Temari's putting her arm over his shoulder was to reduce the distance between them so that she could better observe Gaara's slight changes in expression. Indeed, Temari was smart to do so, and she did receive her anticipated reaction. She saw Gaara's eyes widen slightly, his eyebrows locking together and felt his body stiffen. Temari smiled inwardly to herself, ah, this was just too interesting. Temari looked forward to this weekend, the best one she thinks that she'll ever have. Certainly, Temari wasn't far from the truth. This will be one hell of a weekend, and for Sakura, literally.
Temari let go of her brother and patted his back, "Hey, Gaara, you've really got nothing to say?"
Gaara turned his head to stare at her, his gaze was piercing. Although he did not utter a word, Gaara's look told Temari everything. Having been his sister for so many years, Temari had learned to read Gaara's looks for he rarely spoke. It was just one of things you have to learn. Temari knew he was surprised, and by the looks of it, disturbed by this news as well. She had to struggle not to let her amused smirk show on her face.
"Aw, alright, suit yourself," Temari openly declined Gaara's questioning gaze when he knew perfectly well that Temari had seen his puzzlement. The blonde girl merely returned to the table and led Sakura by her hand, "Shall we go, Sakura-chan?"
"Where to?" Sakura stood up slowly, picking up her school satchel.
"To my room," Temari grinned, "We can continue our talk there. Oh, it'll be really fun, having you sleep over. We can watch movies, play games… I've also some magazines to share, you'll love them."
Sakura smiled back, glad for Temari's cheerful talk to melt the awkwardness that hung in the air. Temari was truly a wonderful senpai; Sakura let herself be led by her out of the room. As Sakura passed the door, her body brushed past Gaara's, although they did not literally touch, but the air currents between them as Sakura rushed past was enough to stir the minds of the two. A shiver ran up Sakura's spine and her pulse pounded irregularly; she tried to ignore the uneasy and tingling feeling as she left the motionless boy behind.
Sakura had to admit that she was really, really surprised and awed by this house. As Temari led her down the corridors, Sakura gasped in silence at the spaciousness of the structure and the traditional Japanese style gave an eerie but welcoming feeling to it. The only thing that bothered her was the silence that seemed to stretch into every corner of every room. There seemed to be no one in this ridiculously large dwelling, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to ask for fear of being impolite, intruding on personal matters.
"You must be thinking that it's really empty," Temari smiled at her when they entered Temari's room.
"Eh?" Sakura blinked; were her thoughts that easy to read?
"It's always been like this," Temari smiled apologetically, "Father and Mother are always away, and it would always just be the three of us."
"The 'three of you'?"
"Yes, Gaara, Kankuro and I," Temari replied, "Kankuro is our other brother. He's not in town, though, because he's currently in university."
"I see."
"That is why Gaara's so reclusive. We've never had much company or friends since we were small, so we were rather used to vast spaces of emptiness and silence."
Sakura certainly wasn't prepared to hear this, so when she did, she really did not know how to reply. Who thought that the usually cheerful Temari-senpai had a lonely childhood? Sakura felt rather sympathetic towards her upperclassman. Fortunately, Temari changed the topic in time, saving Sakura from her painful struggle to form an appropriate response. The sun climbed slowly across the sky and dipped towards the horizon. The house seemed devoid of life save Temari and Sakura's chatter. Because the house seemed so empty and quiet, Sakura found herself wondering, from time to time, what Gaara was doing. But as soon as she thought about it, Sakura would blush and scold herself mentally. She had no reason to worry or even think about him. Sakura engrossed herself with Temari's company and the time flew by in a matter of seconds. Just like that, Sakura's first night at the Sabaku household passed in laughter. But that wasn't the end.
Sakura watched the clock tick away. The night dragged on slowly; there was almost plenty of time left for trouble. The moon shone brightly in the empty night sky, foreboding yet tranquil. Quite some time had passed now, and she had not yet left Temari's room one step. Sakura thought about Kabuto and her parents, how she was going to explain to them and when her parents would finally come home. Yes, there were certainly plenty of things to worry about.
"Oh, it's late," Temari remarked after she cleaned away the plates and returned to the room.
They had dinner in Temari's room for the sake of avoiding awkwardness at the dinner table, where there would only be Gaara anyway. Besides, they—referring to the Sabaku siblings—often ate their meals in their own rooms, since there wasn't really a family to eat together with at the huge dinner table; it would be terribly empty and lonely. It would have been rather disheartening.
"Shall we go take a bath, now?" Temari offered, taking out towels from her closet.
"Sure," Sakura stood up hesitantly, fidgeting slowly, "Uh, I didn't bring any spare clothes with me, though…"
"Oh, don't worry, you can always wear mine," Temari grinned, tossing her a white nightgown.
Sakura stumbled as she tried to catch the garment thrown at her. When she did, she saw that it was pure silk, smooth and soft under her touch. The delicate ruffles and lace that adorned the nightdress gave it an elegant and sophisticated feeling. Sakura stared at it in awe.
"A-Are you sure I can wear this, Temari-senpai?" Sakura asked when she finally found her voice, "This seems really expensive."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Temari waved away Sakura's needless anxiety, "It's nothing; you're the guest, I should be as hospitable as possible."
"Gosh, thank you, Temari-senpai," Sakura smiled, hugging the nightdress; the gown was certainly exquisite.
Considering the spaciousness of the house, it shouldn't have been surprising, but Sakura couldn't hold back a gasp as Temari led her to the bath. It was almost like an onsen (1) in an expensive holiday resort. The bath was open, letting them observe the beautiful night sky above. This was like a holiday suite. Some weekend this is going to be. Sakura and Temari talked on happily as they washed each other's backs and got into the onsen-like bath tub. Sakura sighed with content as she submerged herself in the hot, soothing water. For now, she thought, it was fine to forget everything. The cool night air breathed across their bare skin, a lovely feeling that relaxed Sakura's whole body.
"So, Sakura-chan, what do you think we should do tomorrow?" Temari asked with a grin.
Sakura smiled sheepishly, "It's kind of awkward to say this, but, I really think I would prefer to do my homework."
"Ehh?" Temari narrowed her eyes in disbelief, "You can't be serious."
"I'd like to get things out of my way first," Sakura replied, "We can enjoy ourselves better after that."
Temari shook a few droplets of water out of her hair, "Fair enough."
Sakura stuck out her tongue sheepishly. She planned to enjoy this weekend rather than allow her churning thoughts to take over and ruin her mood. She settled on being optimistic. Let's just hope that this optimism can last long enough.
After they got out of their relaxing bath (they talked in there until they almost passed out), Sakura followed Temari back to her room. Sakura was packing her things into her bag as Temari rummaged through her room. After much digging through drawers, closets and wardrobes, Temari finally straightened up and huffed in irritation.
"Argh," the blonde sighed, scratching the back of her head in a frustrated manner, "Sorry, Sakura-chan, I've got to go find another futon (2) for you; I thought I had a spare one… sorry, I'll be right back, 'kay?"
"Sure," Sakura nodded, organizing the contents of her bag as Temari rushed out of the room.
Now that the room was truly quiet, Sakura imagined having to live in this silence for 16 years of life, and maybe also for many more years to come. She shuddered; she didn't want to think about it, the silence seemed eerie and heavy; it gave her an uncomfortable feeling.
Temari paused in front of the door. She didn't know why, but she hesitated before she reached for the handle and gripped it tightly with her cold fingers.
The door swished open, and Sakura looked up from her work at hand, Temari-senpai is fast, she thought. But she dismissed that thought instantly, because standing before her was none other than Sabaku no Gaara himself, with no Temari in sight.
Temari opened the door slowly, peeking hesitantly into the dark room beyond that seemed like an endless gaping hole opening up to her. She hasn't been in this room for a long time. Stepping into the darkness, Temari closed the door behind her and the shadows engulfed her completely.
Sakura nearly jumped. Her gaze flickered wildly as whirling thoughts churned in her head, completely out of her control. Gaara stared straight at her, seemingly caught unprepared as well. After a somewhat short moment of tense silence, Gaara spoke, "Where is she?"
Sakura assumed he was asking for Temari and replied in a taut voice, "She went to get a futon for me."
Gaara's flicker of gaze was his reply as he continued to stare at Sakura, showing no apparent intentions of leaving, at that moment, or anytime soon.
Sakura felt a shudder run through her body. Somehow the air had gotten colder.
"That woman, I bet she did it on purpose," Gaara pronounced through clenched teeth.
"What...?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows questioningly.
"She must be responsible for everything up until now," Gaara's voice was cold, "and many more to come."
Sakura shivered, the whole landscape seemed silent, as though there were only Gaara and her left; it was a terrifying feeling, for Sakura felt that, even if she called out, there would be absolutely no one to hear her. She grabbed the strap of her satchel tightly in her hands. Was it her imagination... Or has Gaara become increasingly talkative? Of course, she was prepared to fling her satchel at anything that would be attacking her within the next few seconds or so. Something told her that she's going to need some sort of weapon to defend herself.
The air seemed to be cracking and its shards are weighing down heavily in the room.
Haruno Sakura, for the first time in her life, learned that throwing your satchel at someone to protect yourself is definitely not the best way, for it has very limited effects. Too late, she will have to endure dire consequences for this discovery.
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(1) I actually expect everyone to know this... but if you don't, an onsen is a hot spring.
(2) I wouldn't call it a "mattress"... but futon is the bedding thing that the Japanese sleep on? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you really don't, there's always Google and Wikipedia out there.
A little Japanese lesson there. XDD
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-Criticism is very much appreciated, for there are always spaces for improvement! Thank you. :D