A/N: Haven't updated this in a while. A year or so was it?
Also, please check out the announcement on my profile if you have time, thank you.
Maybe it was just her imagination, or maybe her mind was playing tricks on her…but whatever the case it was telling Sakura that Neji was kissing her.
Her. Her of all people!
All of the sudden her head started to spin. Taking a step backwards she noticed that his hand still had her wrist so she didn't get far. As if feeling hotter than the sun wasn't enough.
"N-Neji…" she said very woozy and passed out suddenly falling backwards in a very humorous position surprising Neji.
Neji stood there wide eyed down at the dizzy girl dangling there by her wrist. Looking around to see if anyone saw, he coughed, tongue-tied. A bit awkwardly he picked her up and headed quickly to the infirmary.
"Sigh…Note to self: never expect too much from this woman," he said to himself and shook his head.
--
Sakura woke up slowly opening her eyes to see the ceiling. She blinked a few times, then smiled contently and shut them. After a few seconds realizing she shouldn't be on her back looking at the ceiling if she was in class, Sakura shot up having the covers tossed over her lap.
"Huh? Huh?!" she said confused and shot her head around.
"You're awake now? That's good. I was tired of looking at such a boring sleeper."
Sakura looked over to see a boy who must have been a third year by his stature. He had red hair that looked like it was cut by someone with their eyes closed. He had a bored expression on and had his chin resting in his palm while his elbow lay on his crossed knee.
She stared at him inquisitively before biting her lip.
"It's impolite for people to stare," she said noticing he was still looking at her, his eyes never moving.
"Blinking is a sign that you're human," she stated making him glare and she wish her statement was taken back.
"You're one to talk, coming in here all red faced and dangling embarrassingly from some kid's arms."
Sakura got out of the bed hurriedly and was preparing to leave before his last statement shot through her like an arrow.
"Heh heh…he kissed you huh?" he said with an amused smirk showing Sakura that he couldn't contain his pleasure.
With a jerky neck, she looked over her shoulder at him.
"…No. What makes you think that?"
'How embarrassing! I've had worse done to me by Gaara and yet from one brush of the lips from Neji-san I'm out like child eating a sandwich full of beaver tranquilizers.' Sakura thought, her cheeks feeling slightly red.
"You're easy to read," he said falling back against the wall.
"I am not!" she protested and turned around, stomping her foot.
"Ah?" he paused to look at her face before shutting his eyes briefly." Please. You're so easy to read a blind person could even read you if you were a book. For example…judging from your pink hair and fragile appearance I would say…No. It couldn't be something so obvious," he said cocking his head making Sakura glare.
"…What?" she asked hesitantly.
"Your name's not Sakura is it?" he said wincing slightly at such an apparent name. Sakura's cheeks lit up like Christmas lights as she got fed up with his arrogant attitude.
"So what if it is?! You're not that hard to read either…I bet your name, judging from your appearance, is…Minikui."
(Note: Minikui in Japanese means ugly)
"Ha ha, very funny," he said sarcastically, clearly not amused." It's actually Sasori."
Sakura raised her eyebrow.
"Sasori…? I've never heard that name before."
"Consider that in the past 'cause that's my name," he said before sighing a bit uninterested.
Sakura shifted her feet for a moment before deciding she was going to ask.
"Why are you in the infirmary?"
He looked over at her and leaned forward in his chair so he was sitting regularly." Is it a requirement to tell everyone why I am in here when I come? Or is that just a new rule you made up?"
Sakura took a step back and bit her lip in embarrassment. He was a bit too overbearing for her quiet nature.
"N…never mind then," she mumbled and turned to leave.
"Foot got caught on some wire and I twisted my ankle," he said when her hand gripped the door knob. Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw him shrug." I know, I'm a real rebel."
Sakura blinked a few times before realizing he was standing leaning on one foot while he sat on the bed.
"Oh…I didn't really expect you to tell me actually," she said scratching the side of her cheek a little smiling at him. He merely shut his eyes and turned to look out the window.
"You and me both. See you Sakura," he mumbled and chuckled after the last part still not believing it was her name.
"S-see you?" she asked confused.
"Yeah," he said from where he was laying." You know, like see you around? I'm tired and I don't feel like going to my last class, so see you."
She opened her mouth as if to say something but decided not to and proceeded to leave. It was probably best to get back to class.
She looked over her shoulder and said," See you Sasori." When she got no answer she assumed he wasn't going to respond at all and left him laying there in the infirmary.
-
-
"Sakura! Are you alright?" asked Iruka." I heard you were feeling ill and might be back so I didn't mark you absent yet."
"Ah…I'm fine. Just got a little…" she drifted off looking up and locking her bright green eyes with dull brown eyes.
Iruka quirked and eyebrow at her." A little…?"
Her head shot back making her hair get in her eyes a little." I'm better now sensei…really."
He gave her a look skeptically before dismissing it. Sakura continued down the row to her seat where she sat calmly. Still, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as a gaze was shot at the back of her head. It was those brown eyes in the seat behind her. It's like they were boring holes into her head.
'Nara…Shikamaru was it? Why does it feel like he's staring at me?' Sakura thought and took out her notebook slowly.
"Alright students. A quick announcement before we get into our labs. Your functions of the human body project is due next Friday. Don't forget. That being said, everyone get with their lab partners. We're going to do a lab on bacteria in the human body," Iruka announced.
Sakura watched as everyone moved and got with their buddies taking seats at the lab tables. Sakura raised her hand tentatively making Iruka call on her.
"I…I don't have a partner sensei."
Iruka looked at the chart." Ah, Sakura…Sakura…." He mumbled, his eyes scanning the names." Ah, yes. Haruno Sakura is paired with Nara Shikamaru."
Sakura froze and gulped a bit. Slowly she turned her vision and was met with the same blank stare she received from him earlier.
'Him?'
Iruka watched as they both stared at each other for a while before hitting his chart on a desk." Come on! Get to it you guys."
Sakura got out of her chair and scuffled through her bag for her lab notebook. She peered up to see him not moving. With her book in her hands she looked over at Iruka who had turned his attention back to his computer doing who knows what.
"U…uh, are you going to get your book out?" Sakura asked Shikamaru. He looked over at her with droopy eyes before leaning back and yawning. She had no idea what to think of him. Was he really a genius like everyone claimed? He just seemed like he would be a pain in the ass to work with assuming he didn't fall asleep on her first.
"Shikamaru?"
"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled and pulled a book out of his backpack. They both walked over to their lab table and Sakura began looking at the supplies.
"Do…do you know what we're supposed to do?" she asked him clearly confused since she wasn't present during the instructions.
"There are four cups. Each cup has ten beans in it and there are four different kinds of beans resembling four different strains of bacteria. Every time we remove ten percent of the bacteria we have to follow the instructions on the paper and see if the strain was supposed to multiply or die by half. Whatever the numbers are after each day you either add beans or subtract beans from the various cups and count up the totals so we can later put it on a graph that will help us determine how to answer the follow up questions," he said on a sigh and leaned back in his chair.
Sakura stared confused at him. He noticed and sighed again holding up the lab paper." There are instructions on here you know."
Sakura nodded and snatched the paper away from him, her eyes scanning over the words. Shikamaru noticed her hands were shaking slightly and she was a bit jumpy. Without thinking he asked," Are you afraid of me?"
Sakura's head snapped up and she gave him an apprehensive look." Huh?"
Resting his elbow on the table he put his chin in his palm and looked at her." Apparently."
"A-apparently what? I'm not scared of you," Sakura said and started filling the cups with the beans not wanting to look at the boy with such emotionless eyes. It felt like she was looking at an animal that had been stuffed and the eyes replaced with marbles or something.
"You're very jumpy," he pointed out then mumbled," Although you always act weird so this isn't any different I suppose."
"I'm just tired Shikamaru-kun—"
"Shikamaru. Just Shikamaru. I don't like having anything added onto it. It sounds weird."
Sakura nodded and blinked a few times realizing something.
"How come I am the only one doing any work?" she asked him making him shrug.
"You never asked for help."
"I shouldn't have to ask for help Shikamaru-kun—"
"Shikamaru," he corrected.
Sakura huffed and tapped her fingers on the table." Shikamaru," she finished." I am not very good at science and I heard you were smart so…maybe you should help?"
He looked her face over a bit before responding." You aren't wearing glasses today."
Sakura slumped forward and grumbled disdainfully." Why do people keep changing the subject with me?"
They sat there like that for a while until Sakura heard a plop. He looked up through her bangs and saw Shikamaru putting beans slowly into the cups. She gazed at him for a while before a small smile graced her face. Maybe this wouldn't be such a hard lab after all.
Halfway into the lab Sakura would have traded anything for a new partner. Shikamaru was very unmotivated and left her with the math of how many beans go where. All he did was write the numbers she told him down and then attempt to sleep which she had to shake his shoulders to wake him up.
"How many beans was that Shikamaru-ku—I mean Shikamaru?" Sakura asked glancing at the clock with longing. Only twenty more minutes then she could go home. She wondered if Tsunade would kill her for missing the study groups for one day.
"Huh?"
She clenched her fist a few times before looking over at him. He was sitting very relaxed in his chair with his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm looking at her,
"Is there something you want to say?" she asked shutting her eyes and sliding her hand over her face and through her hair. Maybe if he got whatever might be on his chest off of it he would get back to work…if whatever he was doing was considered work.
"Yeah," he answered after a minute shocking her. She sat straight up. He really wanted to say something? His bored eyes had a twinkle of curiosity in them making Sakura bite her lip in anticipation.
"Who do you like?"
She nearly fell out of her chair. Who did she like?!
"Ah…well…" Sakura mumbled blushing slightly and looking around nervously." I had no idea you were interested in something…." She glanced over at him again to see the same bored expression making her gulp." Something like that…"
'I knew he was giving me a weird look from the moment I stepped into class today…'
He merely shrugged and waited for her answer.
"Why do you want to know?" she asked curious as to why he was curious.
"I don't actually."
Sakura felt like he had just dropped a bunch of bricks on her head. "H-huh?! B…but you just asked—"
"I thought it might be a good way to start out a conversation for what I really wanted to say. You might think no one notices but I do."
Sakura gave a fearful expression before taking a calming breath." Notice what?"
"If any of the other girls found out they would be pretty mad. I wouldn't like it if you disappeared mysteriously one day."
Sakura blushed at this. He knew she was having some sort of interaction with Sasuke, Gaara, and Neji. And the surprising part was he didn't want something bad to happen to her?!
"If you disappeared that would leave an empty seat in front of me and Iruka-sensei would be able to see me. I would never be able to get some peaceful sleep in here anymore."
"Oh, is that so?" she asked turning her head away a bit irritated.
'Great," she thought." Now I'm a wall for someone to sleep behind."
"You should watch out though," he continued." If something slipped out you might end up like you were before Gaara ever came to this school. He is hiding something, so I suggest you pay a little more attention to him."
Sakura was a bit surprised of his warning. His eyes no longer seemed bored but completely serious. Before she could say anything the bell rang.
"We'll have time to work on this tomorrow. If you can answer any questions tonight I suggest you do so," Iruka said as kids went to get their backpacks and leave.
"Shikamaru—," she stopped when he slumped out of his chain and groaned ready to leave and call it a day. He had turned back into his normal self. She just sat there in her chair a bit confused wondering about what he had just said.
Maybe he wasn't so uninformed after all.
-
-
Sakura walked down the hall and stopped in front of the study room. She sighed and prepared to open the door even though she planned to ditch in the first place.
"Hey."
Sakura's hand froze in midair. She turned her head slowly and looked over to see the very person plaguing her thoughts.
"G-Gaara…"
He looked at her hand then back at her.
"Don't you dare open that door. You're not going today," he told her making her heart beat faster. What did he mean she wasn't going?
Sakura slowly pulled her hand back to her side and waited for an explanation.
"Follow me."
With that he started walking away not bothering to stop or look behind. Sakura gulped and looked back at the door again. Against her will her legs started moving on their own. Her heart pounded in her ears when they arrived at the oak tree by the side of the school. He leaned down and sat on a large root protruding from the ground.
"Well," he looked up at her and smirked." I best explain myself huh?"
Sakura's lower lip quivered as she waited for what she was about to face. What was he going to say?
A/N: Sorry. I know I said in the last chapter that Ino, Sakura and Temari will meet up but I decided to save that for when I end the story.