Sakura scowled, crossing her arms across her chest to keep herself from grabbing the grumpy creature by the scruff.

"Will you stop moving around, Grim? You're going to tear my hair out, you annoying cat!"

Undeterred, the opinionated familiar resumed trying to find a comfortable position on her shoulder, not bothering to pull his claws in.

"Your shoulders are so scrawny, Pinky. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"I don't know, your bed?"

"You're no fun, pink human."

Huffing, Sakura pulled gently on his forked tail. "Settle down, unless you want to eat broccoli for dinner."

The grey cat's eyes widened, and he stilled, digging his nails in her clothes. "You wouldn't…That's blackmail!"

"Of course, it is," the woman said, glancing at him in the corner of her eye, her lips curling up in a smirk, "I never said I was above it, did I?"

"Why, you little-Oh, this is gonna be good. Heads up, Pinky."

Sakura furrowed her brow, confused by the abrupt change in her familiar's mood, and twirled around to see what exactly had caught his attention. "Grim? What in the world-"

"Who pissed in your coffee this morning, herbivore?"

Sakura groaned, cursing her luck, and inwardly vowing to give Grim hell for not warning her sooner so she could make a hasty escape. Leona Kingscholar was easily one of the most infuriating men she had ever met, and that spoke volumes considering she'd spent the better part of her life on the same team as Naruto and Kakashi. With an ego that rivaled Sasuke's, Leona was the last person she had wanted to see after completing an exhausting shift at the infirmary.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the inevitable headache that she was certain would plague her for the rest of the night, she met the Savanaclaw's arrogant stare.

"Kingscholar. It's well past curfew. Shouldn't you be in your room?"

The lion smirked at her, tail flicking behind him. "Dorm head, herbivore. Curfew doesn't apply to me. What are you and your little pest doing out here at this time of night?"

"Who did you just call a pest, you fu-"

Clasping her hand over Grim's mouth just in time to stop him from spewing anything that would prolong this unfortunate meeting any more, Sakura sighed. "I'm too tired to deal with you right now, Kingscholar. Go find someone else to annoy."

With that annoyingly cocky smirk persisting on his face, Leona leaned in closer to her. "You are so very amusing though, herbivore. Ridiculous pink hair aside, of course. I'm tempted to take a bite just to see if you taste as bland as you look."

Don't punch him, Sakura. He's a student. That won't look good on your resume.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura took a step back to put some distance between them. "I'm trying my hardest to be polite, Kingscholar. Can you please go be…you somewhere that's away from me?"

Turning around to leave, she only managed to take a few steps in the direction of Ramshcakle when Leona grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him forcefully and causing Grim to jump down from her shoulder. Towering over her frame, the lion bared his teeth in a mocking grin.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to turn your back on a predator, herbivore?"

Alright, I've had enough…

Feeling the last remnants of her patience dissipate, Sakura scowled at him, her lips lifting in a snarl. Grabbing the front of his yellow vest so he wouldn't get away, she kicked his feet from under him. Too shocked to react, Leona fell backwards, landing heavily on his back with her knee pressing down on his chest.

Catching his hands in a vice grip and pinning them above his head, Sakura glared at him. "There are a lot of things in this school that can break your bones, Kingscholar, but I can do it the most efficiently. It would serve you to remember that."

Releasing him, she stood and turned around, not sparing the shellshocked Savanaclaw another glance. Picking up Grim, she held the smaller cat close to her chest, scratching his belly.

"Are you ok, Grim?"

"Don't worry about me, Pinky. It will take a lot more than an overgrown kitten and his inflated ego to take me down." Glancing at the lion over her arm, Grim stuck his tongue out at him. "See this human? She's mine! You just got owned by my human! Take that!"

Feeling her spirits lift slightly, Sakura chuckled, adjusting her hold on him, and pressing a kiss to his head. "It's stuff like this that remind me of why I love you even though you get me in so much trouble, you adorable annoyance."

The grey cat flashed her a toothy grin, stretching his body to rub his head against her chin. "Does that mean you won't torture me with broccoli?"

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Sakura smiled. "Fine. Tuna it is. One can only, Grim. I mean it."

"Yes! Can we watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure, as long as it's not another documentary on mackerel."

"Can we prank the ghosts of Ramshackle too?"

"Fine. Only a couple of them though. I won't have them pulling the covers off me in the middle of the night again."

"Girl, you're on fire tonight. How about we agree on two cans of tuna?"

"Grim!"

XxxxX

Sakura was not the most patient of people and there were certain situations she had even less patience than normal for.

So, when she heard voices spewing all sorts of mocking nonsense at something or someone, she couldn't help but frown in disapproval. Though she was already running late for the errand Doctor Gotrus had tasked her with completing, she followed the voices to the back of the Astronomy Tower, a secluded area that was only partially visible from the path leading up to Night Raven College's main doors.

The first thing she noticed was a small circle of three or four second-year Diasomnia students, laughing amongst themselves, most of them sporting mocking expressions on their faces. She furrowed her brow, unsure of whether she should interfere or not. Even though she was technically a member of the faculty, she generally avoided getting in disagreements with the students. Doctor Gotrus was already intimidating enough, and she certainly did not want to give the students yet another reason to stay away from the infirmary.

However, her doubts dissipated when she saw what was in the middle of their circle. Or rather, who.

Sitting down with his knees drawn to his chest and his head buried in his arms, a small lion cub whimpered pathetically as the older students mocked him. His shoulders were shaking, and Sakura was certain he was crying.

You sorry bastards…

There were a lot of things that could make her lose her patience, but there were some situations that could make her blood boil in the blink of an eye. With Naruto's past and her very well-known soft spot for the blond knucklehead, bullying had ascended to the very top of that list in record time.

Clenching her fists at her sides, she marched over to them, making sure to make her presence felt. "Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

The four second years turned to her, and she thought she saw one of them flinch at the menacing aura she emanated. Smart boy.

"Look, it's the doctor's assistant. Go away, little girl."

"Yeah, go put a band-aid on a scrapped knee or something."

"Can't you see we're busy here?"

Taking a threatening step forward, she stared up at the boy that appeared to be the leader with a scowl on her face. "Busy? You have the nerve to call picking on a little kid 'busy'? Pathetic."

The expression on his face changed and he glared at her, bringing his hand down on her shoulder. "Listen here, you-"

Grabbing his wrist, Sakura twisted his arm behind his back, locking him in an iron grip. "I'm listening. Go on."

"W-What are you doing, you stupid bitch-"

"Tsk, that just won't do," she growled in his ear, tightening her hold on him, pulling his arm further behind his back. "Now, it seems to me that you have two options. Option number one, you take your pathetic lot and leave without causing any more trouble. Option number two, you keep up the tough guy act and I pull your arm out of its socket. Which is it going to be?"

His face went pale and he whimpered in pain, cold sweat running down his temple. Like a rabbit caught in the claws of a hawk, he shifted his wide eyes to his companions to find them watching the scene with clenched teeth.

"W-What are you waiting for, you fools? Do as she says!"

They hesitated, their gazes flickering between their classmate and her. Sakura narrowed her eyes at them. "Is there a problem, gentlemen?"

Broken out of their daze by the palpable danger in the air and the promise of pain in her words, they quickly backed away from the little lion cub. With her eyes following their every move, Sakura released her captive, snickering at the way he stumbled forward.

"You can bet Malleus and Lilia will hear about this. I'm sure they will not be all too pleased to hear that you are tarnishing the name of Diasomnia. Get out of my sight, pests."

She watched them as they ran off, their figures disappearing around the corner, and then shifted her attention to the small child at her feet. Kneeling down, Sakura took note of his shaking shoulders and her heart clenched in her chest.

"Hey there," she spoke softly, making her presence as placating as possible, "Are you alright?"

Slowly, he raised his head and the pink-haired woman found herself staring into a pair of big, tear-filled golden eyes. The boy's fiery orange hair stuck to his wet cheeks and his lips quivered as he fought to contain his sobs.

"You don't have to be scared anymore. I made them leave, see-"

Without a warning, the boy threw his arms around her neck, latching onto her as if his life depended on it. For a moment, Sakura lost her balance, but she managed to find her footing just in time.

She felt her heart melt in her chest when the little lion buried his face in the crook of her neck, and she wrapped her arms around him, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"There, there. Everything's alright, I got you, sweetie." She felt him nod against her, making her smile widen. "Will you tell me your name? I'm Sakura."

"C-Cheka."

"Ah, that's a proper lion name. It's very nice to meet you, Cheka." She grinned down at him, pleased to see that though his eyes were still moist, the tears had stopped. "Now, how about we go to a nice place so you can calm down? I think I have a couple of cookies in my bag, if you're hungry."

His ears twitched and he immediately perked up at the mention of the treats, making Sakura giggle. Brushing his thick reddish hair away from his forehead, she adjusted her hold on him and turned around.

Where to go, where to go…Hm, that lion jerk Kingscholar likes to sleep in the Botanical Gardens. Lions are fond of warm, dry weather, right?

Glancing down at the little boy who was examining her pink braid as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world, Sakura couldn't help but melt at the sight of his chubby cheeks and big golden eyes. She'd always been very fond of children and Cheka had to be the cutest little boy she had ever seen.

I could pick up the herbs Doctor Gotrus asked for too.

Grinning, she patted his back. "Alright then, let's go find a place to relax so I can give you your snack," she said, mentally apologizing to Doctor Gotrus for giving his cookies away and vowing to bake him a fresh batch as soon as possible.

Nodding eagerly, the little lion latched onto her shoulders and to her surprise, his tail wrapped around her arm. Sakura hummed softly, resisting the urge to pinch his cheeks.

"So, Cheka, tell me. How did a brave lion like you end up here…"

His demeanor immediately changed and his whole face brightened, lips splitting in a wide, toothy grin. As Cheka chatted her ear off, talking about everything and anything that caught his eye, Sakura couldn't stop a big smile from rising to her lips.

She wouldn't be forgetting this little boy anytime soon.

XxxxX

Leona cursed under his breath.

Having Farena at the school to talk to the Headmaster about something his brother was particularly tight-lipped about was annoying on its own.

Having to look for his errant nephew, who had somehow managed to stray from Farena's side likely to search for him, was a whole other matter.

Where in the world did that furball go?

Crossing the double doors of the Botanical Gardens, Leona examined his surroundings, too tempted to take a nap under his favorite tree for a few hours. Perhaps he'd wake up and find that this had been nothing but a bad dream.

That is, until his favorite tree finally came into view.

His eyes widened, eyebrows shooting to his hairline as he took in the sight before him.

Sprawled on the pink-haired herbivore's chest, with his little hands fisted on the white shirt of her uniform, Cheka slept soundly. Shifting his eyes to the woman, he found that she too was asleep, one arm under her head and the other resting comfortably on the cub's back.

How…How did this happen?

As silently as only a lion could, Leona approached the two and kneeled beside them, unsure about how to proceed. He could shake the herbivore awake but he doubted she'd appreciate it. After all, the feud between them was no secret.

Sighing in frustration, he carefully untangled the cub's fingers from around the fabric of the herbivore's shirt, his eyes shifting to her hand on his back. Leona cursed his luck. With care that he wasn't used to showing anyone save his troublemaker of a nephew, he took hold of the woman's hand, briefly noting how small it was in comparison to his, and gently moved it to her side.

She mumbled something, and for a moment Leona was certain she'd wake, but she simply turned her head towards him, sighing in her sleep. For the first time since meeting her, he noticed that her lashes were pink too.

With a still napping Cheka in his arms, Leona stood, turning to leave, but then he stopped, glancing at the woman over his shoulder.

She's not your problem. It's not like anything will happen to her.

After all, he was still mad at her for making a fool out of him the other night by wrestling him on his back like it was nothing. Like he was some inexperienced cub. He tolerated her presence whenever professors were around at best and wanted to bite that damn tongue of hers off at worst.

Still, the thought of leaving her there, on her own and particularly vulnerable in her state, made him feel strangely uncomfortable. His parents had not raised a savage, after all. Glancing down, he found Cheka snuggling close to his chest, hands fisted on his yellow vest much like they had been on the woman's shirt.

Grumbling under his breath, Leona threw her one last look over his shoulder before walking out of the Botanical Gardens.

XxxxX

When Sakura stirred awake, it was to the sight of Grim resting on her chest and staring down at her. Blinking the fog of sleep from her eyes, she took a few seconds to assess her surroundings, immediately realizing that she was in her dorm room.

Eh? How did I get here…?

"Oi, Pinky? Are you alright?"

Shifting her gaze to her gray familiar, Sakura stretched her arms above her head to relieve some tension. "I'm fine, though a little confused. How did I end up here? I remember running errands for Doctor Gotrus and then coming across those idiots picking on Cheka-Oh my God, Cheka!"

Her eyes widened at the thought of the little cub, and she made to throw the covers off her, but Grim's paws on her shoulders stopped her.

"Slow down, pink human. Your pet lion is fine."

The woman frowned. "And how do you know that?"

"His uncle told me when he carried you here."

"Eh? His uncle? How did a stranger manage to get through-"

Grim cackled in his 'I-know-something-you-don't' way, making her stop mid-sentence.

"He's not a stranger, pink human."

"Huh? Spill, you little pest!"

"Kingscholar brought you here."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Kingscholar? Leona Kingscholar? Tall, cocky, pain-in-the-ass Kingscholar?"

"How many Kingscholars do you know, Pinky?"

"But…how?"

How did I not make the connection sooner?

Grim shrugged, pawing at her stomach to make himself comfortable. "Apparently, he found you and the cub sleeping under a tree in the Botanical Gardens. Took the kid back to his father and then returned for you."

Returned for me…?

"Are you sure we're talking about the same lion?"

Rolling his eyes, Grim flicked her nose with the tip of his tail. "Are you acting stupid on purpose? Of course, we're talking about the same lion." Flashing her a toothy grin, Grim winked. "And to be completely honest, you looked pretty damn comfortable when he carried you in, clinging to his clothes and snuggling in his arms and all."

Flushing at his words, Sakura averted her gaze. "I did not!"

"You're so easy to tease, Pinky," the cat drawled, rolling on his back. "Oh, he also left that for you."

Looking at where her familiar was pointing, Sakura's eyes landed on the piece of paper on her nightstand, folded neatly and perfectly symmetrical.

With her curiosity more than a little piqued, she unfolded the note.

Herbivore,

The runt told me what happened. Don't expect me to repeat this but thank you for taking care of him.

What the hell did you do to him? The furball won't shut up about you.

I dropped by the infirmary to let that uptight boss of yours know of your whereabouts. Gave him the gist of the situation, so he won't punish you. I think. Don't take my word for it.

We don't speak of this again. Ever.

P.S. Don't let this get to your head, it doesn't mean I hate you any less.

The note was as blunt and impolite as Kingscholar himself was. Still, Sakura couldn't quite wipe the grin off her face for the rest of the day.

TBC

Aw, come on, Leona. We all know that when a boy pulls a girl's pigtails, it's because he liiiiikes her. :P

Not a romance one-shot but I thought it'd be fun to write an enemies-to-lovers chapter. Where this one-shot is the 'enemies' part and we'll get to the 'lovers' part later on.

Also, I just wanted Sakura to meet Cheka. I adore that little lion, he's the cutest thing ever. XD

So, after seeing the Halloween Specials for Savanaclaw, Diasomnia and Ignihyde, I've been thinking…Would you guys be interested in reading AUs of Sakura and the Twisted Wonderland characters? The idea has been popping up in my mind lately and I don't know, I'm getting a bit excited…Let me know what you think!

I hope you guys enjoyed this!

Reading your thoughts always makes my day so please drop me a review if you have a minute to spare.

Until next time,

Lots of love!