A Ninja's Guide to Surviving High School
By: JA_Japster

Copyright Notice: Don't own Naruto.

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Unnoticed Significance of an Unintended Meal

It was a terrible start to Sakura's dinner date, and one that she was pretty certain only someone as clumsy and unfortunate as herself was capable of. She was sitting in front of the Uchiha clan's stone fireplace, shivering uncontrollably with a towel draped around her shoulders. Her clothes were thoroughly soaked and droplets of freezing cold water dripped steadily from her matted pink hair. Sakura's teeth chattered incessantly as she scooted closer towards the roaring fire, gratefully soaking in its inviting warmth.

They had arrived at the Uchiha estate only minutes earlier. The mansion and its surrounding grounds was only a few miles away from Sakura's home -she knew the location well. In middle school, Ino, herself, and a group of Sasuke's other admirers would regularly walk there and wait outside the estate gates with their cameras, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol at home. They seldom did. Sasuke had rarely ever left the estate when not busy with school activities, but despite that, Sasuke's devote fan club had zealously maintained their watchful vigil outside his doorstep for far too many years.

Inside the estate grounds there was a pond that had frozen over. Beneath the layer of ice and frost, she could see a number of colorful fish darting back and forth. Sakura, being her normal curious self, had decided to take a closer look.

"Is it solid?" Sakura had asked Sasuke who had walked over to see what she was looking at.

Sasuke had shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't think it'd be very smart to find out though."

Naturally, Sakura had interpreted that as a challenge and, with a defiant grin, had stepped out onto the ice.

It turned out the ice wasn't solid after all. Her foot smashed through the ice like it was made of paper, and her momentum sent her crashing into the freezing cold water below. Her shock and surprise didn't even allow her a chance to summon chakra to keep her afloat before she found herself struggling to keep her head above the water with her soaked clothes weighing her down. Sasuke had chuckled in amusement before reaching down to drag Sakura out of the water.

So there she was, sitting in the Uchiha clan's living room, trying her best not to die from hypothermia while Sasuke was in the kitchen cooking both of them dinner.

"Perfect'" Sakura muttered darkly to herself. "Just perfect."

Not only was she well on her way to catching a cold before the dance, but Sasuke probably thought she was an idiot. Sakura wasn't as obsessed with impressing her classmates as she used to be, but regardless, it was hard not to feel a little self-conscious after stepping into a pond because of her own innate stubbornness and stupidity.

"Hey," Sasuke said as he entered the living room. There was a pile of folded clothes in his arms. "I thought you might want to change into these."

"Thanks," said Sakura, gratefully taking the clothes from him.

"Dinner is almost ready. I'll come get you in a minute." Sasuke turned and left so she could get dressed in privacy.

She inspected the garments curiously. She had expected Sasuke to bring her some of his spare clothes, but much to her surprise she was holding a simple cotton blouse and leggings that were clearly of a feminine cut. Either Sasuke wore women's clothes in the privacy of his own home or this was not the first time one of Sakura's female guests had had need of a spare set of clothes.

She scowled slightly as she changed out of her wet clothes and into the ones Sasuke had given her. She supposed it made sense that Sasuke might have extra women's clothes around the house. After all, it was Uchiha Sasuke she was talking about, only the most popular guy in Konoha High. How many other women had Sasuke had over before? Some of them had to have spent the night with him and needed clean clothes in the morning, right?

The thought that she was wearing the clothes worn by one of Sasuke's previous girlfriends repulsed her. Even though the clothes she was wearing were clean and freshly pressed, they suddenly felt even dirtier than the soaked and mud stained clothes that Sakura had just changed out of. For a moment, she entertained the thought of changing back into them, but just then Sasuke reentered the room.

"Do they fit alright?" Sasuke asked. He was wearing covered in grease stains and more than a few scorch marks.

"Yeah, just fine," Sakura replied, forcing a smile that she hoped look more playful than disgusted. "Do you keep clothes here for every girl that falls into your pond?"

"I guess. I have a whole wardrobe of them," Sasuke said with a small shrug. "They're my mother's old clothes."

"Oh." Sakura looked at the floor. Her stomach still churned at the thought of the clothes she wore, only now her revulsion was more directed at herself than at Sasuke. Sakura wasn't sure why she had automatically decided to think the worst of Sasuke. Maybe it was because she still wasn't sure why he was being so nice to her all of a sudden. Distorting his kindness with negativity seemed to be the only way Sakura could keep her opinion of Sasuke in perspective.

This new, nice Sasuke was not the Sasuke that she was familiar with. Cold hearted, a jackass, self-absorbed, self-righteous, a bully -that was more like the Sasuke that she had known her entire life. As much as his uncharacteristic amiability was confusing her, Sakura had to admit she kind of liked it.

There was more to Sasuke than just the jerk he pretended to be; Sakura had seen this side of him a few times before. There was a humane side to Sasuke that lurked beneath his rough exterior, though admittedly, Sasuke hid it very well. And maybe that was the part of him that she was genuinely attracted to. Not the prodigy. Not the bad boy. Sasuke. The human.

"Well, dinner is ready." Sasuke said, gesturing her to follow him into the next room.

The Uchiha estate's massive dining hall was a testament to both the size and wealth that the clan had once been renowned for. Paneled with the finest teak, its walls covered in silk tapestries and beautiful paintings, and lit by a crystal chandelier that rotated above their heads, the dining hall put even the most opulent restaurants in Konoha to shame. In the center of it was a long, wooden table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. It could have easily sat the entire, extended Uchiha family at once, and if the dozens of chairs that surrounded the table were any indication, it had done just that on several occasions.

Sasuke motioned for her to sit near the head of the table. The chair reserved for that spot, Sakura noticed, had been removed. He went back into the kitchen for a minute, and when he reappeared he was holding two large plates covered in food.

"Chicken curry and rice with assorted vegetables," Sasuke announced, placing one of the plates in front of Sakura. "Enjoy."

Sakura picked up her chopsticks and cautiously took a bite. The dish looked and smelled amazing, but she was always wary of any guy's cooking. Some of the best chefs in the world may have been male, but ironically, almost all the men in Sakura's life were terrible cooks. Her father, for instance, could burn water, and Sakura knew for a fact that Naruto survived off of ramen because the last time he had attempted to cook, the school's dormitory had caught on fire.

Her apprehension about Sasuke's cooking quickly vanished though with the first mouthful of curry. It tasted absolutely divine. She closed her eyes and savored the taste, letting its flavor wash over her tongue. Sakura had eaten more than her share of curry in her life, but Sasuke's was exceptional. The sauce was just thick enough, the chicken moist and tender, and the vegetables seasoned perfectly. Eagerly, she dug into her plate with a newfound gusto.

"You're a pretty decent cook," Sakura commented in between mouthfuls of food.

"Just decent?" Sasuke wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure my curry tastes a tad better," she replied. It was a lie of course. Sakura considered herself a fairly competent cook, but she couldn't imagine making a curry this good. "But it's not bad."

Sasuke smirked. "Maybe you can teach me sometime."

Sakura nodded and poked at her food with her chopsticks. She had lied intentionally to see how Sasuke would react. The Sasuke she knew would have either challenged her to a cook-off right there on the spot or would have snorted disbelievingly. Instead...wait...was he flirting with her?

"So..." Sakura said. "Did you find someone to go to the dance with yet?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Haven't found the right person yet. You're still going with Naruto?"

Sakura also shook her head. "You haven't heard? Naruto sort of...well...I dumped him."

That was only half true, but apparently Sasuke didn't know the full story, which was strange. Though he would never admit to being interested in the intrigue of high school politics and romances, no student at Konoha High, especially someone as popular as Sasuke, was stupid enough not to remain current on the latest school gossip.

"That was probably smart." Sasuke replied casually. "You deserve someone better than that moron anyway."

"Think so?" Sakura put down her chopsticks and studied Sasuke's face, carefully searching him for something that would reveal what he was getting at. Sasuke was flirting with her. That much was obvious. But why?

"Definitely," he smiled.

"Like who?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find the right person."

Slightly disappointed by Sasuke's answer, Sakura frowned sadly and returned to her food. If Sasuke was still interested in taking her to the dance again, that would have been the ideal opportunity. She had suspected perhaps the car ride home and then the dinner had all been an elaborate build up to Sasuke asking her out, but apparently she had misinterpreted the situation.

They ate and made small talk for several more minutes when suddenly Sakura's phone beeped. She dug it out of her pocket and glanced at the text message that was glowing on screen.

"Damn it," she muttered. "My mom wants me home."

Sasuke wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Sure. I probably shouldn't have asked you out so late anyway. I'll drive you home."

Sasuke lent Sakura one of his winter coats as hers was still drying by the fire, and together they walked towards the front door of the estate. He excused himself for a second to grab his keys from the next room.

Standing there alone in the entryway to the Uchiha homestead, Sakura took a moment to look around. There was nothing remarkable about the mansion's entrance. In fact, it was so unremarkable compared to the dining hall that it looked almost intentional. The furnishing was sparse; what few pieces of furniture remained were covered in dust from years of disuse. Portraits of prominent Uchiha members were covered in cobwebs, and unkempt, rusting suits of samurai armor that bore the Uchiha crest on its breastplate stood on either side of the front door.

Sasuke could have easily hired someone to maintain the mansion. He had the money. Instead, Sasuke seemed content to let the estate slowly decay and degrade on its own.

It was sad. The moment that Sasuke's family died, it was if their home had died with them.

The only thing in the entryway that looked as though it had been touched recently was a small, framed photograph that rested on a nearby table. Sakura leaned over to look at it.

It was a picture of Sasuke's family. A handsome, dignified looking man and a smiling, beautiful woman stood in front of a blossoming tree. In front of them stood their two boys. A young Sasuke was easily recognizable, but his trademark scowl and smirk had yet to develop. Instead, Sasuke was smiling broadly in the picture, proudly displaying a gap in his front teeth. The boy standing beside Sasuke could only be his brother, Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi. The betrayer. He looked so innocent in the photograph, so energetic and boyishly handsome. There was a huge smile on Itachi's face as well, and his arm was draped affectionately over his little brother's shoulder.

The photo was dated almost ten years ago. It had to have been taken months, maybe only weeks or even days, before Itachi had murdered his parents and the rest of the clan.

Did they know? Sakura wondered, her fingertips tracing across Itachi's smiling face. Did they suspect that a monster lurked deep within you?

It was a question, Sakura was sure, Sasuke asked himself every time he saw the picture.

"It's a reminder," Sasuke said. Sakura turned around, startled. Sasuke was standing behind her, his keys clenched tightly in his hand. He walked towards Sakura and took the photograph off the table. "A reminder of everything that I lost that day."

He placed the picture back down on the table. There was a sad smile on his face, a tortured look that Sakura had never seen before. She felt as though she had accidentally intruded on something that was private to Sasuke, something so painful that he only trusted himself to endure it.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said. "It must still be hard."

Sasuke did not reply.

The drive back to her home was uneventful and uncomfortably quiet. Sasuke seemed preoccupied with something and Sakura decided to leave Sasuke alone with his thoughts. The car came to a stop in front of Sakura's house, and Sasuke turned off the engine. They sat there for a moment, fresh snow falling gracefully around them, in complete silence.

"Thanks for dinner," Sakura said awkwardly. She wasn't sure if Sasuke was upset with her, if he was busy thinking about something, or if he was merely bored. He had a face that was impossible to read, a face that relayed only the emotions that he wanted. When Sasuke said nothing in reply, Sakura sighed and reached for the door handle. This was hardly how she had envisioned a date with Sasuke ending. It was far from ideal.

"Sakura, wait." Sasuke said suddenly.

"What is it?"

Sasuke abruptly leaned across the car and kissed Sakura on the lips. At first, Sakura was taken aback when their lips met, but then closed her eyes and soaked it in. It wasn't the first kiss that she had shared with Sasuke, but as bursts of euphoric light blossomed in her head and numbing bliss washed over her body, she had to admit it was every bit as pleasurable.

"So," Sasuke said. He drew back from Sakura, but only slightly so that their lips still hovered only inches apart. "Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

Sakura's response was to grab him by the neck and pull him towards her. Their mouths met again in a rough, sloppy, almost savage kiss that bruised both their lips, but the sheer esctacy more than marginalized the pain. Panting for breath, Sakura pushed Sasuke back against the driver's seat window and leaned over him, her lips never leaving his for a moment. Sasuke tried to put up a hand to support them, but it slipped on the fogged glass and the two spilled over onto his seat. It was a cramped, uncomfortable fit. Sasuke's rib was wedged against the gear shift and Sakura's head kept bumping into the steering wheel, but they were oblivious to the inconvenience. They continued kissing one another, each kiss becoming more and more passionate and longer than the next, lost in their own personal world of pleasure.

Sasuke tried to sit up to find a more comfortable position and his arm accidentally bumped into the horn. It blared loudly, shattering the night's silence and forcing the two lovers to disengage. The horn, no doubt, would send Sakura's father outside to investigate the commotion, and he would not be pleased to find his only daughter making out with a boy in a fancy sports car.

"Call me later?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded and kissed him one more time before opening the door. Her breath quivered, her face was flushed, and her trembling legs almost sent her toppling into the snow. It was only when Sasuke's car disappeared around a corner did Sakura finally manage to regain control over her body. She forced herself to calm down until her breathing steadied, but even then she found it difficult to walk straight as she made her way down the snowy walkway towards her front door. Her lips still pleasantly tingled, and when she closed her eyes, Sakura could swear she could still taste Sasuke's kiss.

Sakura hated to think of herself as the kind of girl who got love struck, but there really was no other word for the way she felt at the moment. She had hoped she had developed beyond this sort of obsessive puppy love, but after kissing Sasuke seconds earlier, it had become quite clear that she hadn't. As turbulent as their relationship had been in the past, one thing was now for certain. Sakura was irrevocably and hopelessly in love with Sasuke.

Her hands were still shaking as she dug into her pockets for the house key. Sakura was about to open the door, but before she could, the door slowly creaked open. Sakura inhaled sharply. Was it her father? Has he been waiting for her? Had he been watching her all along?

It swung open, and Sakura braced herself for the worst. But it was only Naruto who stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and a frown of disapproval on his face. "Where the hell have you been all evening?" He snapped accusingly.

Sakura sighed in relief and rolled her eyes as she brushed past him and headed upstairs to her room.

He followed her, his nose sniffing. "And why in the world do you smell like Sasuke?"


Author's Notes
Hey guys. Good to see a few more reviews than last week's chapter come in (thanks to all those who did review!) -it's certainly very motivating when I know people actually are taking the time to read and appreciate the story. So, if you haven't reviewed yet, please take a few seconds just to comment that you are still reading. Bonus points if you want to add something you like or dislike about the story so far.

Other than that, same old same old. If you have any comments or criticism, I always take the time to read it no matter how disparaging it may be. I have the next (almost) three chapters written and those will be uploaded in the near future barring any unforeseen delays!

Hope you guys had a great Holiday and a Happy New Year!