Chapter Fourteen, anyone?

Anyway, I'm going to use this space to talk about my manga adventures. Oh yes! I went out and bought the first chapter of Saiyuki: Reloaded -3- I can say that I'm very interested!! Although I don't fully understand it because it being 'reloaded' is a sign that there was a series before it... Ahaha, I'm such an idiot...

But I really like it! Goku is my favorite :'D I want a plushie of him. He's soooo cute! I'll have to draw some fan art...

Yes, I draw :'D Are you surprised?

Now, onwards with the plot!

Disclaimer: Seriously guys. If I owned Naruto, Tenten would have so much more screen time.

We Were Made To Be

Chapter Fourteen

What Not To Do In Dodgeball

Once again, Sakura sat with her mother during one of her visits to Sasuke's mother. Ever since the quarrelling of their offspring had reunited them, they had made a promise to each other to never break contact again. Apparently, Sakura had learnt, they had been close friends in High School and had shared many adventures together.

Sakura didn't really care. She only sipped tea silently and tried to act poised. When Sasuke was around, she'd tag along with him. He told her that he hated it, but she did it anyway. For some reason, Sakura liked annoying him. It was actually very fun to try and get large outbursts of emotion from the boy.

Of course, she never TOLD him this.

But, Sasuke was not present today, and it was not as if Sakura was particularly bothered by this fact. She was still a little sore about his comment on her hair and the dance.

Yet, halfway through the mother's reminiscing, the other Uchiha brother stepped in, his face hidden within a large file. "Mother, I don't suppose you've seen my report, have you? Deidara's-" But as he lowered it and his eyes fell on the two Haruno's, he paused. "Oh, forgive me. I was unaware that we had company."

"Hi, Itachi-sempai!" Sakura waved happily to the older boy. "How are you?"

"I am fine, Sakura." He nodded towards her, a small smirk on his lips. "Mother, you're not boring poor Sakura with old stories about 'Back in the day' are you?"

Mikoto giggled nervously and waved off this comment.

Itachi watched Sakura as she tried to nod as subtly as she possibly could. He continued, "Although, I'm sure young Sakura would absolutely hate to miss these conversations, what, with how much fun she's evidently having," Itachi picked up a stack of papers that were on the table, waving the large coffee stain at his mother. "But I'm afraid I'm going to ask her to meet a friend of mine." He eyed her up and down finally. "I have a little job for her."

"I don't mind helping out!" Sakura said, a little too quickly for her liking.

But her mother didn't seem to notice. She approved and Sakura bounded up to the young Uchiha whilst they continued gabbling. They went straight up the main staircase to the third floor. It consisted of a long hallway paneled with oak and laid with a red carpet. Several doors adorned the sides and Sakura couldn't help but want to look behind them all... but Itachi walked straight past them all and up another winding staircase to a room on the fifth floor. Trotting after him, Sakura couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

The room they came too was designed like the hallway they had just passed through, but it was much bigger and wider. A large desk stood at one end of the room with a large window behind it. A red coach was along one side opposite the door, and on it laid a man. Sakura tilted her head.

Itachi beckoned her in more and she stepped forward. "Sakura, this is probably the most immature person you will ever meet, and since I expect you've met Naruto-kun, then its really saying something."

The man rolled his eyes and held out a gloved hand to her. Sakura looked at him, curiously. He was about the same age as Itachi, but a little shorter. He had honey-blonde hair that hung round his neck. Some of it was pulled in to an elegant ponytail at the top if his head, and the rest of it hung over his left eye. Despite this quirky feature, he had a handsome face and intriguing, blue eyes. "Deidara." He said, simply. He had a masculine voice, despite the way he looked was almost feminine. It reminded her of J-Rock heartthrobs that were dangerously tottering on the fine line that separated the genders.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," She said, her cheeks tinged pink.

Deidara turned back to Itachi, chuckling to himself. Apparently this man, like the Uchiha family, was not fazed by her family name like other people were. This probably meant that he came from a family that rivaled her own in terms of power." What is she, Itachi, your team mascot or something? You said you'd come back with a report and you brought back a little girl. Where do you keep her, in your closet?"

"She's not little. She's sixteen and you only just turned eighteen. She's one of my brother's friends." Itachi said, throwing the report to the blonde and purposely missing the last question.

"Sasuke-chan has friends?" Deidara plucked the file out of the air, still sniggering.

"And since you don't want to talk about business like you were supposed to, I thought I might help you with your ridiculous project."

...Project?

"Project?" Sakura chimed, watching Itachi as he rummaged through the desk.

Itachi hummed in reply. "Yes. Deidara is... a business partner of mine, if you will. Myself and a few other people have big plans on an... Organization, I suppose you could call it. He's attending the same university as myself, but he's too wound up in his artistic nonsense to care about it."

Ah, Sakura understood now. He was attending the same university as Itachi and was younger than him, which must have meant that he was a prodigy like Itachi. She was sure that Mikoto had said something about Itachi attending a sophisticated university one year before everyone else his grade. Sakura thought about this. Of course, because there are 18 year olds in my high school. Itachi and Deidara must have skipped a grade.

"It's not 'nonsense,' you ignorant bastard," Deidara pointed out, calmly. "It's a way of expressing myself and Sasori's just as bad as I am, un. And I still don't see what she has to do with my art."

"Sasori, unlike you, isn't a babbling moron. And weren't you looking for a model a couple of weeks ago but couldn't find anyone who fit the bill?" Itachi voiced, uncaringly. "You said you wanted someone new and unlike any other."

Sakura froze. Model? Like Supermodel? She couldn't be a supermodel! She wasn't tall enough! She hadn't even been asked to the dance!! Sakura tried to think up an appropriate response that wasn't too insulting towards Itachi, but nothing came to mind. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say anything wrong to this Uchiha brother. Itachi was much more easy to talk to than his moody younger brother.

"Oh, I see what you mean now." He looked Sakura up and down, ignoring the flush that rose across her face. "But I was in to designing back then, idiot." Deidara fell back on the couch and brought his hands behind his head. "It's all about sculptures right now."

Itachi threw a few more files in his direction. "Yes, I know, you've said before." He said, with a pinch of exasperation in his voice. "But you tend to get back in to these things. Can't you consider it?"

Deidara put a thoughtful finger to his mouth and observed Sakura again. "No, I can't do it, un." He folded his arms and rolled off the couch to his feet. "It would be betraying my artistic flow. Ask me again later."

Sakura giggled at the two of them. They certainly were an unlikely pair and to think that they were business partners? Not to mention friends. This peculiar and eccentric character only seemed to get on the nerves of the unfeeling Uchiha. Though, if Itachi acknowledged this man, then he must be something special. And Sakura had good feelings about him. Maybe it was his smile, Sakura thought. He did have a nice one.

"I'm not bringing her back here again." Itachi finally sat behind the desk, tapping on it with a pen. "You can contact her yourself."

The blonde shrugged and beckoned the girl with an outstretched finger. Sakura snapped out of her daze and skipped over, taking a seat next to him. He sat up and folded his legs childishly, turning in to face her. Sakura couldn't help but smile and brought her feet up on to the sofa as well.

He took out a phone from his jacket pocket. "What's your code, cutie?"

"Wh- Code?"

"Deidara-speak for phone-number." Itachi called from over the folder he was inspecting.

"Oh..." She mumbled and started reeling off her number, taking her own phone from the pocket. She punched his in shyly.

He held it up to Sakura's face. "Smile. No teeth."

Sakura hesitated, but then attempted to give one of her sweetest smiles. It must have worked because he looked impressed.

He said, suddenly, bounding up again after Sakura had snapped a picture of him as well. " I like her, Itachi. She's cute like me, un. God knows how dear old Sasuke-chan landed a chick like her as a friend."

"I do wish you'd stop saying 'un.'" Itachi groaned.

"I'll stop saying it as soon as you get your fat head out of your anus." Deidara teased. "So basically, in layman's terms, it's not going to happen, un."

Though Itachi didn't look particularly hurt by this statement. Deidara continued talking, as it seemed he loved to, as Sakura watched happily. She was pretty artistic herself, but nothing compared to this youthful display. He was so young, and he acted his shoe size instead of his age, but Sakura could sense a lot of wisdom in him - despite the fact that he called Itachi a 'bastard' every few minutes.

Though Sakura wasn't too sure about this whole modeling deal he brought up quite frequently.

"Deidara-sempai," Sakura spoke suddenly, lacing her fingers nervously. "I'm not sure about this modeling thing. I don't think I'm modeling material! I-I'm not tall enough to be a model!"

"You said your name was Haruno, right? Haruno Sakura?" He asked, missing the question completely. After Sakura gave a confused nod, he laughed to himself. "Heh, my family hates your father. It's going to be even more fun managing you, un."

Itachi shook his head in disbelief, muttering 'Moron' under his breath.

"You know, Sakura-kun, for a cutie you sure don't talk much."

"Sakura's shy at first, but once she gets used to you, you won't be able to shut her up."

Sakura blushed and stuck an immature tongue out at Itachi.

Deidara folded his arms, "How can you know more about my client than I do?"

"Because you met your 'client' fifteen minutes ago. And I thought you weren't considering it anyway,"

"I'm not. I'm being prepared for the future. Anyway, that's not right." He ignored his business partner, "Managers should know their models better than conceited bastards. I'll call you on the... first of April? We'll lu-"

"Ugh, be quiet about that!" Sakura flopped on to her knees, but apologized as soon as she saw the confusion on the men's faces. "N-No, sorry... It's just that next week we have this stupid dance thing on-"

"Ahh!" Deidara laughed loudly. Itachi smirked and crossed his legs. "The Stupid Prat Recreation Idea of Noxious Gases dance! S.P.R.I.N.G! Oh god, that brings back memories..."

Sakura watched as Deidara had a fit of laughter. He jumped on the sofa next to Sakura and began to explain through outbursts of laughter, "See, at school our little... gang, yeah, gang un. Anyway, we never went to that dance, and the principal always used to get on our cases for it. So Itachi here rigged the air-conditioning units with stink bombs, and-" But he had started laughing again. Sakura turned to Itachi, smiling weakly.

He rested his head in his palms. "Not one of my more cunning ideas, I'll admit... But it is on April Fool's day..."

"So, Sakura," Deidara put a long arm against Sakura and pulled her cheek in contact with his, grinning slyly. She wondered if he and Naruto were related, even distantly and laughed nervously. "Has anyone asked you to go, yet?"

"Um, no?"

"No? Whaddyamean, NO?"

It almost pained Sakura to say it, but after a few tries she managed to blurt it out. "No one's asked me to the dance, and it's in a week. Even the guy who's obsessed with me has a date! I guess Sasuke-kun was right about-"

"Whoa." Deidara put a slowing finger to her lips, shaking his head. "Sasuke-chan is never right, un - First rule of the universe. What did that dickwad say now?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call my little brother a 'dickwad,' Deidara," Itachi drawled, stepping down from his desk and pacing in front of the two of them. "But I'm curious. What did he say to you?"

Sakura explained Sasuke's comment to them. Deidara folded his arms, wrinkling his nose.

"Well that's a bit assholish." He sighed, reaching out to inspect her pink locks.

Itachi shrugged. "Sasuke's never been one to be... what's the word...?"

"Straight?"

"No, not that. Courteous, that's it."

"Courteous or not, Sasuke cannot insult people's hair, especially considering his own." Deidara snickered. "You know why he's so sensitive about being called 'Chicken head?' That's my doing." He prodded his chest, proudly. Sakura giggled.

"How would you put it, Deidara? 'Such fuckery will not be tolerated?' Or something like that." Itachi rubbed his chin in thought.

"Precisely."

Sakura rolled her shoulders and slumped over half-heartedly. "Sasuke-kun has millions of admirers and they must have all asked him by now. Even though he's not going with any of them, I can't help but feel a bit... well... jealous." The two men watched as she curled a long lock of hair around her painted fingernails. "I mean, they all think he's so beautiful, and they're always telling him about it. Even if he rejects them, it must be nice to be so appreciated."

"Don't feel bad about it, Sakura-kun," Deidara ran his hands messily through her hair. "At least you're modest, un. Just look at what all those girls have done to Sasuke's ego... In fact..." Deidara stood up and paced around Itachi cunningly. "Someone should... I don't know... cut his ego down to size, un."

Sakura looked on, anxiously. Itachi narrowed his eyes. "You have far too much time on your hands. I would say, 'You should be spending all this free time on your essays' but that will hardly stop you... What are you planning?"

"Hmph," The blonde huffed, amusedly. "Who do you think Sasuke-chan hates more, Itachi? Me or you?"

"Itachi-sempai." Sakura filled in, hoping to be somewhat helpful since she'd been pretty useless so far. "He wont even touch your car... but what relevance does that have to anything?"

Deidara smiled innocently. Sakura squinted. It didn't suit him. Itachi had been right. He was planning something. Her eyes blinked wide open, "Oh..." She breathed, imagining the outcome of the vision she just thought up. "No, you wouldn't."

"Don't say that," Itachi warned. "It only encourages him."

He was right again. Deidara's grin was growing and growing until it came to a point where Sakura had to look away from its creepiness. He drummed his fingers together, chortling to himself. "Itachi, what are you doing on the evening of April the 1st?"

"Now, Deidara." Itachi said, pacing the room again. "Think it over properly. Sasuke sees me practically every day. Sasuke can put up with me to some extent. But you-" He suppressed a scoff. That would simply be un-Itachi-like. "Your visiting makes him flee. The only reason he isn't here today is because Mother let it slip that you were coming."

"True, but he did start crying when he was six when you turned up for his parent-teacher conference. And he's more scared of you in the long run." Deidara sneered and considered this before standing up. "Ro-Sham-Bo for it?"

"Is this true, Sakura-chan?"

"Its true!" Tenten locked on to Sakura's arm angrily. "She's got a date to the dance and she wont say who its with. She's only given one hint to his identity."

"What?" They pushed their faces in to Tenten's dramatically. Her expression turned fatally serious.

"That he's an older man."

The contents of Naruto's locker had spilled to the ground. Kiba's can of cola lay hissing wrathfully next to it. Both boys had their faces forced up in Sakura's, as if they were trying to stare her to death. Sakura took a step backwards and picked up the can of cola.

"You're making a fuss." She said, austerely, opening the can. "What's the big deal? He's not that much older. It's not as if either of you were going to ask me anyway." She drank up, spinning on her heel happily. Naruto and Kiba, who on any other day would have joined in with the merriment, simply looked at her as if she was the most childish person in the world.

"I might have!" Kiba yelled, prodding her firmly with an outstretched finger. "Maybe I have a super big crush on you and was just waiting for the right moment!"

"I find that hard to believe." She smiled behind the metal can. "Anyway. Naruto, you're older than Hinata and Neji is older than Tenten. I still don't see what all this fuss is about. Anyway, you'll all see him at the ball."

And Sakura, after closing her locker shut, walked down the hall with books in hand. Tenten stomped angrily beside her, and the two boys followed shortly. They watched Sakura carefully, whilst whispering to eachother. Suddenly, they nodded and sped their strides up to Sakura. She looked at them, expectantly.

They looked frustratingly at her, before bursting out, "Can't you at least tell us who it is?"

"No." She smiled back, hanging a left. They weren't to give up so easily though.

"But why not?"

"Because he asked me not to tell anyone. It's a secret..."

"It's Uchiha isn't it?"

Sakura made a face. "It isn't Sasuke. I'm still angry at Sasuke." She shook a disapproving finger in their faces. "I would never go to a dance with that boy. He's mean, and-" She folded her arms huffily. "He still owes me a hug, the jerk."

And speaking of 'the jerk,' there he was in the classroom. In his hands was another volume of 'Death Note.' She cringed. It just... suited him. Not that Sakura even vaguely understood the concept of manga. This she didn't stay on, though, because she was too busy scanning his face. He was still too pale, yes, and his skin drooped off his cheekbones with lack of sleep, but he had looked worse.

Sakura was just happy that he had somewhat listened to her and because of it, she did not poke him like she had originally intended. He should consider himself lucky, Sakura mused. With being a Regi and all, cracking his skull in two seemed like plain sailing.

For the first time, she was starting to think that being a Regi wouldn't be so bad.

See? She could totally be open-minded.

But even though its going to be sort of fun, it's gonna be a lot of work too! Her inner voice lectured loudly. Remember! Tsunade-sama said you couldn't tell anyone. Well... maybe you can tell Neji and Hinata, but no one else!

Not even Tenten?

Are you kidding?? Especially not Tenten. You saw her face when Neji described them for the first time! She hates them!

She considered this. Sakura wasn't one to keep secrets, nor was she one to lie. If Tenten were to ask her, she'd have a hard time concealing it. Now was not the time to dwell on such a thing, though, for she was now in a room full of girls. UNCHANGING girls.

Her eyelid twitched.

"Sakura! Hi!" Said a girl that she knew from her class with dishwater blonde hair. "Come talk with us! Is this your-"

But she stopped, for Sakura was now looking the opposite direction and frowning. She scuttled over to her, still frowning, before hissing in to her ear, "What in God's earth are you doing??"

"...Changing?"

"In a room with other people- ugh!" Sakura hid her eyes as the girl took off her shirt, revealing a spotted pink bra. Sakura swiped the air, screeched wildly and started throwing random clothes she came across in the girl's direction. "Clothe yourself!!"

Temari, who had just returned from her swim class, eventually rescued Sakura. Sakura, who learnt from the older girl that getting unchanged publicly like this was in fact a perfectly normal routine. Sakura nodded unsurely until Temari herself started changing. At this time, she grabbed her sports bag and stomped off to the bathrooms.

"It's barbaric, that's what it is..." Sakura mumbled to herself as she pulled the school's red sport jersey over her head, kicking the stall she stood in. "I mean, if this is the changing, what is the sports like? Throwing rocks at eachother? Pfft."

To Sakura's dislike, she hadn't been completely wrong about the school and their choice of sports.

"Dodge ball!" Kurenai shouted, raising a slender arm in the air energetically. Sakura blinked. Some of the others groaned whilst other chuckled to eachother. She thought she had heard Tenten laugh maniacally.

Because instead of rocks, they were firing large, red balls in the other direction. Sakura shook her head disdainfully. Unbelievable. Mankind had just dropped another few levels in her opinion.

"Teams!" Kurenai spoke again, talking through a whistle in her mouth. "Anyone who has a name beginning with A to M on one side. The others, to the right!"

Sakura shifted her feet unsurely before being whisked off by Tenten to the right side of the playing field where the rest of her team was. At first sight, everyone on her team looked sort of pick-n-mix - Her, Sasuke, Tenten, Neji, Naruto as well as about a dozen Sasuke fangirls.

But they weren't flocking over him, to her surprise. They were focused and ready to show Sasuke what they were made of. As far as Sasuke was concerned, they were all made of sulfur and Paris Hilton. Therefore he avoided them like the devil.

Sasuke would be Sasuke, after all.

The game itself was a lot better than Sakura had originally though. Throwing balls at the other team and dodging the one's thrown at her. Pretty easy, really, because Sakura was very supple and wove threw the balls like a dance. Meanwhile, Tenten was shooting balls in such a way that no one dared to try and aim for her.

Because if they missed, they would be dead meat.

Sasuke and Neji didn't look too bothered. They dodged the flying balls with little effort, but didn't look concerned enough to give half a damn about anything else. Because of this, no one aimed for them. To his displeasure, Naruto was actually the aim of a lot of balls, most likely due to Kiba's influence.

And the teams depleted quickly until only the finest individuals were left. The other team consisted of Lee, Kiba and the particularly fiery fangirl Ino who was the only person brave enough to attempt to knock out Tenten. It is not hard to imagine what became of this.

"Doing okay, Neji?" Sakura sung, taking the ball he had just caught out of his hands and shooting it back towards Lee. "You don't look too in to it."

He huffed and folded his arms. "Organized sports are tiresome. And the sportswear does not suit my taste." He looked down at the baggy shorts the boys were instructed to wear.

She smiled. "Oh? If it's so tiresome, why not join to end it as quickly as possible?"

Neji didn't answer her. He only took the three balls that Lee had hurled at him and passed them along to Tenten.

Tenten, naturally, was the equivalent of a military rifle. Goodness only knew how Ino had survived until this point, but Tenten didn't look too pleased with herself because of it. Finally, it was Sakura who hit the blonde in the chest, knocking her over. It had taken a few thousand apologies before Sakura was ready to get back in the game. Ino didn't look so much angry... more like shocked.

And she didn't cheer like a moron when Lee caught Sakura's leg with a dodge ball. ("Sakura-san! A-Are you alright?? If I have hurt you, I will run 500 laps around the city as punishment!!")

Sakura was not hurt. She sat down on the sidelines next to Tenten and Neji. Neji, who had tired of the game and walked off the pitch, had brought a folder out of no-where and was now studying Literature notes.

And evidentially Sasuke was the last member of the second team. He didn't too enthralled about it and spent the remainder of the match scooting to the side slightly and checking his watch.

And with that the lesson ended with a win to the first team. Sakura still believed that it was barbaric and pointless, but she had sort of enjoyed herself - as embarrassing as it was to admit it.

But she had to hurry! She slipped on her overlarge jersey over her sports clothes and rushed out of the changing room.

Yes he was there!!

She flicked her hair pettily before strolling over to him happily. She leant against the wall next to him, grinning. "Hey!"

He looked back. "Sakura."

"Neji." She nodded. He turned back to his English notes, eating an apple. The corridor was empty apart from the two of them. It was perfect. "Hey, Neji, are you doing English?"

He was silent.

"Yeah, we had it this morning." She slumped down to the floor, arms behind her head. "Some weird poetry thing. Something about 'Blue to scarlet, in the north we find eternity as dawn becomes down.'"

He stopped chewing. She grinned back.

"So." He slid down next to her, closing his file slowly. "You're aware."

Sakura giggled.

"I guess I'm going to look out for both you and Hinata-sama now." He sighed, drumming his fingers. "Although you're a good one, from what I can tell. Don't be reckless, alright?" He said sternly, warning her with an outstretched finger. "You were a little strong in dodge ball, especially towards Ino. If anything too big happens, I'll have to intervene. And I can't promise I'll be gentle-"

But they both fell silent. Tenten had just come though the door in front of them, bearing a sports bag in arms. She looked at them before narrowing her eyes. Sakura looked away, blushing slightly.

"You can't promise you'll be-"

"You have the most PERFECT timing, Tenten." Neji folded his arms, a blush appearing on his pale face.

Short chapter. Take it or leave it. The last previous was a long one, so it compensates.

I had planned to put Deidara-sempai in the story for a long time! He's younger than Itachi-san in this fic though... but I didn't take any of his quirks away, and that's what really counts! Sasori is also mentioned! Maybe I'll slide him in the fic too... Deidara's one of my favorite Akatsuki members so I had to put him in... He's so fun to write! More fun than writing for Lee! I hope that I got his attitude right, though! I don't know why I made him swear so much, though... Oh well... -the reason for it is because it amuses the author, just so you know-

Review me, please!