The school roof was mostly abandoned, save for the lone figure snoozing under the clouds.
Sakura smiled fondly at the figure, closing the door behind her. She bent down next to him.
"So, I hear you dumped Sasuke." Shikamaru yawned, opening his eyes to peer at Sakura, who was hovering over him. He sat up.
Sakura sat down next to him, "Did you? That spread fast."
"You did shove a burger in his face. That sort of thing is prime gossip-fodder. Was that just a rumour or did you really do it?" Shikamaru asked, eyes fixed on the clouds floating above them.
"Yes, I did. He deserved it."
"What did he do?"
"He lied to me. He made like him so he could get me to lower my grades. And I fell for it." Sakura said bitterly.
They both watched the clouds in silence for a bit. Sakura sighed. It was the day after the whole burger-to-Sasuke's-face-incident, and the events of the day were still playing through her mind on a constant loop.
"I heard he impregnated you and only offered you a pretzel for child support." Shikamaru commented.
"What?" Sakura yelped, "People think he... Oh no..."
"Yup." Shikamaru said easily, "I didn't believe it, though."
"Oh, that's just great. No wonder Hyuuga Neji pointed at my stomach and laughed at me this morning. Urgh. Damn it." Sakura groaned in frustration.
"Yeah, about Neji," Shikamaru said slowly, "I was grateful that you helped me out with that, but you really don't have to fight my battles for me, you know?"
"Shika," Sakura rolled her eyes, "I am Student Body President. Your welfare concerns me, obviously."
"You set Temari on him. That wasn't very presidently." Shikamaru said, smiling.
"I did nothing of the sort," Sakura sniffed, hiding a grin, "I merely insinuated that Neji had hurt you. I didn't tell them to beat him up."
"Temari asked me to thank you for her. And it was mostly her and Gaara who beat him up, Kankuro didn't really get a chance."
"Those three really like you, huh? How did you tame the wild beasts?" Sakura laughed.
"My dad entered me in some crappy martial arts tournament. I ended up fighting Temari. I quit, obviously, but she came up and talked to me afterwards. I still think she's crazy, but that's women for you." Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette, ignoring Sakura's glare.
"Not all women are crazy, Shikamaru." Sakura shook her head, "It's guys that are crazy. Especially Sasuke-bastard and Gaara."
"Ah, double-standard." Shikamaru smiled, "I don't know about Sasuke, but Gaara isn't crazy."
"Yeah, he's perfectly sane once you get past all the crazy." Sakura said scornfully, "He declared war on me! War! For giving him detention!"
"You've not really contributed much in this war, have you?" Shikamaru eyed her uneasily, "I hope you aren't losing your touch. I'd really miss your insane commitment to the school."
"I've had a lot on my mind. Ino and Sasuke-bastard. And I understand you were being sarcastic, but let's examine my insane commitment, shall we? Ino called me 'too smart.' I dedicated the next four years to proving her right. I do every single job the teachers give me. I stay up all night to study for exams. I push myself so hard, and what do I get? Good grades. Really good grades. Really good grades and two friends. I'm beginning to wonder if what Ino and Sasuke said were true, that I work too hard and for the wrong reasons." Sakura said contemplatively, green eyes intent on the hazy clouds floating overhead.
Shikamaru blew out some smoke rings and watched them drift off, "Stop working so hard, Sakura." He said simply, eyes closed.
"I like working." Sakura said, "And I don't want to change for anyone else anymore."
"Stop working so hard, Sakura." Shikamaru repeated, breathing out smoke, watching the clouds intently.
Sakura considered his words.
"Hmm. I don't know… the last person who said that to me was conspiring to become the smartest in the year after defeating my grades. Are you sure you don't have an ulterior motive?" Sakura said jokily.
"I'm not motivated enough to have some evil plan. By the way, it's a little weird to think that all this time, Sasuke's been plotting against you…"
"Do you think he wears a false moustache to twirl whilst he plots evilly?" Sakura grinned. This was good, making Sasuke into a joke. Though the damn bastard could probably pull off a fake moustache.
"I do think his laugh sounds kind of evil, actually." Shikamaru said, raising his eyebrows.
"He needs a cape. And a villainous motto. And he should stop every five minutes and monologue about how evil he is."
"I can see him making villainous speeches in the school hallway."
"And kicking kittens."
"And stealing candy from babies."
"He thinks he's so tortured and badass, like he's some kind of Victorian-stick-up-his-arse hero," Sakura scoffed.
They laughed and joked at Sasuke's expense for a while, before Shikamaru stubbed out his cigarette and grew serious.
"You aren't going to get all depressed and woman scorned, are you?"
"Depressed, no. Woman scorned, hell yeah."
"Good, good." Shikamaru grinned lazily.
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After Sakura had confiscated Shikamaru's cigarettes, she headed down to her English class, knowing it was the ever-irritating Kakashi teaching today.
She walked down the stairs and froze at the bottom.
Hinata was in the middle of the hall, wearing a tutu and butterfly wings. Standing next to her was an orange fox (Naruto) and a scorpion (Kankuro).
Sakura rubbed her eyes, convinced she was seeing things.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said anxiously, his fox tail swishing behind him, "I wanted to talk to you!"
Sakura stared at the talking fox. It was real, she decided. For the sake of her sanity, it had to be.
"I don't want to hear it, fox-boy. All of you, drama costumes are not permitted in the hall, you know that. I'm sorry, Hinata." Sakura said regretfully.
Hinata just nodded supportively.
Kankuro frowned, "That's not fair! Hinata's your friend."
Sakura was about to say, 'friend or not, she knows the rules,' when a curious thought ran through her mind. She didn't have to give Hinata detention. It was a stupid rule. Hinata was her friend. Favouritism was not something she promoted, as a rule, but she was normally the most dedicated Student Body President alive. One little transgression would go unnoticed.
"If you continue on your way and I retreat back up the stairwell, I won't have seen you." Sakura said quickly before she could regret it.
"What?" Naruto said, confused.
"Are you sure, Sakura-chan? I don't mind." Hinata said sincerely.
"Are you mad?" Kankuro demanded, "Quick, go, before she changes her mind!"
"But I want to talk to –" Naruto started to insist, but Kankuro grabbed him by the tail and dragged him along.
Sakura watched them go, smiling. She felt oddly daring.
A thought struck her. Sasuke was in her English class. He even sat near her. Damn it.
She peered through the glass of the door to the English room. Kakashi was waving a ruler around lazily, explaining something to the class. Their attention was mostly on him, but Sasuke was staring right at her through the glass.
She jumped backwards in shock.
"Not going in?" Gaara said from behind her.
She turned, still feeling a bit queasy at the thought of seeing Sasuke again. "Of course I'm going in!"
"Have you ever skipped a lesson before?" Gaara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do I look like the type of person who skips lessons?" Sakura gestured to her sash.
"If you skip your lesson and come with me, I'll consider organising a ceasefire." Gaara said, his smile a little irresistible. There was something very tempting about his words… Sakura had never considered skipping a class before, but now…
"Come with you where?" Sakura said cautiously.
Gaara's smirk grew victorious.
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Gaara led Sakura straight out of the school.
She fought him the whole way, determined to stay on school grounds. He just smirked and walked off. He casually spoke to the receptionist at the welcome desk, explaining that he and Sakura felt unwell and had been sent home. She seemed suspicious, so Gaara handed her a forged note with Kakashi's signature.
She pushed the button that unlocked the school door, still studying the forged note with a frown.
Sakura dithered in the doorway, feeling like a total fraud. Gaara turned back and pulled her out of the school, her dragging her heels all the way.
"Sakura, you do too much for this school anyway. Just come with me. It's just one day." Gaara said, frowning.
Sakura finally yielded and followed Gaara off school grounds. They rounded the corner and were greeted by Temari.
She wasn't in school uniform. She wore a black silk top that covered very little and a tiny pair of shorts. Sakura noticed that she had a purple fan tattooed on her arm. She resisted the urge to start handing out detentions there and then.
"What's she doing here?" Temari asked, hands on hips. Her voice was cool, but not altogether unfriendly.
"We're organising a ceasefire." Gaara explained. His smirk seemed sly.
"We can't skip school with her dressed like that, Gaara." Temari rolled her eyes.
Sakura flushed. She was wearing the regulation uniform, a white sailor outfit with yellow trim. Her long hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon. Her red sash stood out most of all.
Gaara looked Sakura up and down and sighed. He leant towards her and untied the ribbon, his face inches away from her own. Sakura felt something swoop in her stomach at the sight of Gaara's mouth so close to hers.
Then her hair fell down and he moved backwards.
"Let's just go back to the house." Gaara said after studying Sakura's appearance. She still looked every inch the model student.
"Gaara! We were going to go drink -!" Temari started to protest, only to be cut off by Gaara's glare. He jerked his head towards Sakura and widened his eyes meaningfully. Temari caught on, "Uh, soda. We were supposed to drink soda. Remember?"
Sakura scowled. Underage drinking, tattoos, hair dye, general delinquency, these students were her worst nightmare.
So why was she standing in the street with them in the middle of the day, skipping school and discussing where they should go?
Her desire to stop doing what everyone wanted her to may not have been so good for her after all. At least when she was dull and hard-working she never broke any laws, school or otherwise.
Gaara ignored his sister's annoyance and walked off. Sakura stood on the pavement staring dumbly after him. At least with the school still in sight she could always just go back…
But no. Temari rolled her eyes at Sakura's lack of movement and grabbed her arm, pulling her after Gaara.
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Gaara's house was modest. It was large enough, but more of a cottage than a house. The front garden was unkempt.
Temari unlocked the door and they all entered the house. It was surprisingly clean and homey inside. A large decorative fan was mounted on the wall. A few puppets hung from hooks, mouths gaping open, wooden limbs dangling. A gourd was propped up in a corner.
"Aren't your parents home?" Sakura asked, looking around.
Temari waved her hands frantically in warning, saying, do not go there.
"No. Our mother is dead and we don't live with our father." Gaara said flatly.
"Oh." Sakura said, feeling guilty. It occurred to her that Gaara had revealed his family situation to her without hesitation. It appeared he was not afraid of her using it against him and publicising it to the school, as he had done to her.
What was wrong with her? All this time she'd made fierce claims that she would destroy Gaara, that she'd fight back in the war, and yet here she was, in his house, organising a ceasefire.
"You want a drink, Sakura?" Temari asked.
"No thank you." Sakura said politely.
Temari snorted and headed to the kitchen.
Sakura and Gaara were left alone in the living room, looking at each other.
"So why am I here, Gaara?" Sakura asked softly.
"You tell me." He countered.
"I'm here because you mentioned a ceasefire. I just don't know why you wanted me to come here. You can't blame me for being suspicious." Sakura said reasonably.
Gaara's smirk vanished. "You interest me. You put up with all of the shit that school puts you through. At first I just thought you were stupid, too dumb to notice you were being taken advantage of. Then I saw your test scores and heard about your academic reputation. So, you are smart enough to see that the teachers don't give a damn about their jobs, and that they like using you to make their jobs easier. And yet you put up with it. Why?"
Sakura sighed deeply, "I put up with it because… because I love my job. Because I love feeling needed. Because it gives me power over the students that used to kick me about and treat me like dirt. Is that enough for you?"
Gaara tilted his head, his smile reappearing. "Selfish reasons." He commented.
"I never claimed to be a saint." Sakura disagreed, "My job is hard. Did you really think I did it for fun, or for the good of the students? Well guess what! I took the job at first because I wanted to help the students. But then time went by and I realised the students I worked so hard to keep happy hated me."
"Yamanaka Ino does not hate you," Gaara said with a mocking grin, "The Uchiha does not hate you."
"Ino sold my secrets to you!" Sakura exploded, "Sasuke lied to me! He made me fall in love with him!"
"Ino sold your secrets to me because I paid her, yes. But I did not tell her I was going to publish them to the school. Uchiha Sasuke loves you." Gaara said the word 'love' with distaste, as though the word did not fit in his mouth, despite the fact that it was tattooed onto his head.
"Regardless of whether or not Ino knew what you would do with my secrets, nothing changes the fact that she sold them. Sasuke does not love me. He pretended to, in order to make me lower my grades, or haven't you heard yet?" Sakura said angrily
"I've heard," Gaara said simply, "and you're right. Uchiha Sasuke does not deserve you."
Gaara walked towards her, his movements predatory.
Sakura stood her ground, aware that in this den of vice she stuck out like a well-dressed sore thumb. "I don't understand the interest you've shown in my life. I understand that you hate me for the detention thing –"
"What? I don't hate you." Gaara said blankly, still moving closer.
Sakura looked desperately towards the kitchen, where was Temari? Why had she not returned yet?
The news article she had found on the internet flitted into her mind, "Did you really assault another student at your old school?"
Gaara did not look surprised at the knowledge that Sakura had heard of his court case. Of course, it had been widely publicised.
"What do you think?" Gaara asked curiously.
"I don't know. You've never shown a tendency towards violence before." Sakura said, refusing to be cowed. She actually moved forward, hands on hips, a hostile look on her face.
Gaara seemed impressed by her guts. His smile grew wider. "Hyuuga Neji." He whispered.
"He deserved it." Sakura said, surprised by the ugly tone in her voice. Gaara was a bad influence on her. Persuading her to skip classes, leave school before she was meant to and making her enjoy violence. She disliked the idea of changing herself for anyone, especially after the whole Sasuke and Ino debacle.
"Student Body President." Gaara stopped to admire the sight of her, bristling with fury, "In my house, skipping school, advocating violence."
"I'm not advocating violence. I would never do that." Sakura scowled.
"I don't dislike violence." Gaara commented.
Sakura's back hit the door. She glared up into Gaara's face as he neared her.
"Don't touch me." She spat.
An odd expression crossed Gaara's face, "Do you think I'd hurt you?" He asked.
"I think you're unpredictable." Sakura shoved at his chest, moving him backwards, "And I think you've forgotten the ceasefire we were going to plan."
"I think it's called a double cross." Gaara smiled, "I'm going back on my terms."
His forehead was touching hers. Sakura forced down the fear bubbling up inside her, and glared defiantly into Gaara's eyes.
"Veni, vidi, vici." Gaara muttered, eyes on Sakura's lips.
Forgive the little Latin quote at the end XD I just thought it was appropriate. In case someone doesn't know, it means, 'I came, I saw, I conquered.' Since it was about war, and Gaara was making his move, I just thought…. XD
Sakura wants to act out, to rebel. She might not have chosen the best path J
The sight of Sasuke upset her enough so that she was vulnerable to a little persuasion from Gaara, hence why she left school with him. That, and curiosity.
I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE REVIEWED! Last chapter I got about 22 reviews! I was so happy! I normally get about five or ten reviews per chapter and I'm happy with that, but 22! SO HAPPY! I love you all!
Btw, the Shikamaru and Sakura scene was a request from StarKiss666 :) Don't be afraid to ask for a scene to be put in! If it's within reason and works with the plot I'll put it in!
Quick poll for fun: Who is the most underrated character in Naruto that you absolutely love?
A) Ino
B) Chouji
C) Shino
D) Other! Let me know!