Thank you Guest, Anissa, and JYC.VLLNV for the reviews.

May this chapter put a smile on your faces just as it did on mine.

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

It all started in Spring of their 4th grade. When all the students of 4-A would rush to the playground during recess, one particular kid stayed inside the confines of their classroom. It wasn't because she didn't want to make friends, it was because she didn't have friends to begin with. Other kids like Ino and Hinata, both heiresses to their family's businesses have their own set of friends who sat at tables 2 and 3 respectively. Shikamaru may be lazy but he had Choji who would hand him packs of chips while he tried to take a nap under the shade of the big tree. Even Naruto had Kiba - they'd run around the playground and race towards the slide. Sakura didn't want to be alone. But she'd rather not come out of the room only to be rejected.

Taking out her meal from the red lunchbox her mother made, Sakura carefully laid out the items on her desk. It was already halfway through the school year so she knew no one would bother to look for her. Being alone was a normal occurrence. She was about to take a bite on the apple when the doors of their classroom burst open. Entering with a slight smirk on his face was Dosu, a 6th grade student known for bullying smaller kids. His eyes zeroed in on her and together with his companions, he approached her desk and fished out the apple she was holding. Being the little girl that she is, Sakura tried to reach for it but Dosu was much taller than her. "Come and get it, 't reach with your short arms, you tiny creature?"

Oh no.

Sakura, now up on her toes, tried grabbing the apple from Dosu who had already passed it to Kin. Round and round the apple went. From Kin, to Dosu, to Zaku and then back to Kin. She started to get dizzy. Why, for Kami's sake, did they want to trouble her perfectly quiet recess? She only wanted time for herself, probably read her comic book while eating. But why, oh why did it have to be her?

"What now Pinkie? Can't get your apple? Why don't you just run outside?" Dosu said. There was a hint of smile on his face, the kind of smile that does not reach his eyes. He now starts to push her towards Kin, who also pushes her to Zaku who also grabs her by the hair. "You look silly in pink hair. You don't belong here for sure." He pulled her hair so hard that it felt like it was going to tear from her scalp. Big chunks of tears started to form in her green eyes. She wanted to scream but doing so will only make Zaku pull harder.

A loud bang interrupted them. Three heads automatically turned to its direction. She could not turn her head so she did not see who or what it was. Only one thing crossed her mind.

Please make it stop.

Sasuke Uchiha never liked recess. It hinders his desire to have a quiet time alone. When the bell rings, children from his class would run towards the playground and when some of the girls would spot him, they would approach him and give him various snacks which he didn't like. He didn't like to be surrounded by them, much less whenever they started calling him by his name. At such a young age, he knew for a fact that they only like him because he is an Uchiha. Being an Uchiha, he thinks, can be annoying at times. He's heard all about it from his nii san - girls trying to get his attention, trying to get close to him. He wonders why it has become a big deal - to be born to a family with years and years of history tied to Konoha. What irks him the most was he couldn't spend time alone so he could read the latest issue of Rinnegan, his favorite comic book uninterrupted. Throughout the first few months of the school year, he was forced to make a scary looking face so the girls won't bother her. Sometimes, it worked, most of the time it didn't. So he took it upon himself to find a spot where he could hide. It was behind a bush near the classroom's window. There, he could read alone and imagine that the Sage of Six Paths would pass on the Rinnegan to him, a magic eye that allows someone to warp from one place to another. One day, while he was getting ready to read Volume 7, his eye caught something pink - a color too bright for his liking. Curious, he peeked through the window and saw a tiny girl by herself, eating at her desk and holding something that looked like Volume 2 of Rinnegan.

It was Sakura, he remembered.

Not that he had to, but more because Sakura and pink, in his opinion, belong together.

Day by day, he would sometimes check on her to see what volume she is into. Not all the girls in class read comic books. He wanted to know if like him, someone did actually enjoy the material. And it seemed that Sakura did. Sometimes, when Iruka sensei isn't looking, he'd catch a glimpse of the said girl who sat four seats away from his left. She would have a far away look in her eyes and then check on something that's on her lap and then she'd smile. Her face would get all scrunched up whenever Naruto tries to invade her desk or make unnecessary noise. And her eyes would suddenly get sharp when the sensei is discussing. Somehow, he has become fully aware of the girl with pink hair who tries her best not to be noticed.

Noticed her, yes, Sasuke did. And so did those bullies from 6th grade. He did not know what pushed him to stand up. All he knew was every fiber of his being wanted to hit that Zaku kid real bad. Seeing Sakura being pushed around made him run the fastest that he could. When he reached their classroom with a bang, all he saw was black with a hint of pink. "Let her go." Surprisingly, his voice was calm despite the rage he felt. The Zaku kid who was pulling Sakura's hair decided to let go. That's when his eyes met hers.

Her green eyes now filled with tears awakened something in him that he has never felt before. Without a word, he grabbed Zaku and punched him square in the face. All he wanted was to hit the kid with all that he's got. Caught off guard, Zaku fell on his back, giving him an opportunity to punch him more.

"S-sasuke… stop.. Please." Sakura's tiny voice pleaded.

Suddenly, his fists unclenched and all the anger he felt went away. "I.. I don't want you to get in trouble." He felt skinny arms wrap around him as he stood up. Tiny as she was, Sakura pulled him away from Zaku who got up with the help of the other kid.

"Don't you ever bother her again!" He yelled as loud as he could. "If you mess with her, I'll make sure you'll pay." If these three knew who he was, they'd surely steer clear from him. This was one of the moments where being an Uchiha mattered.

"We're not done here, Uchiha." said Zaku, who was now wiping his nose with his hand. Followed by the other kids, they all went out of their classroom, leaving Sakura behind him.

He felt her arms fall so he turned to her, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Thank you for saving me, Sasuke." He lifted her chin and saw her eyes filled with tears. Of all her expressions that he has seen so far, crying would definitely become his least favorite. She only deserved the brightest smiles be it from reading their comic book or seeing the flowers she liked most. His hand moved on its own, wiping the tears on her face. "From now on, you'll stick with me so they won't bother you. We can read Rinnegan together during recess." She threw him a questioning look so he continued, "I saw you reading Volume 4 from under your desk before so I know."

Sakura nodded slowly. She took his left hand to check something. Seeing that there was nothing wrong, she let go of the said hand and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll save you a seat and I promise not to make a noise. I know you don't like it when it's too loud."

"Hn."

The bell rang, signaling the end of recess. Without a word, he went to his seat and watched her walk towards her own. One by one, their classmates came in and it became too rowdy for his liking. Before the teacher got back, he threw glances at the girl who sat four seats away from his left. She looked his way and softly, her lips formed a smile that he didn't know she could make.

Four seats from his left seemed four miles too far.

If he could, he'd do anything to see her smile that way.

A smile that was made only for him.