Four

Sakura did her best to divert Ino's attention on the way back to their dorm room. Somehow, the blonde was able to keep her mouth shut until they were out of the company of the others – something Sakura was extremely grateful for. As much as she loved Naruto, Hinata, and Sai, she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with all of her closest friends having all the details of this…odd experience. She didn't even really want to tell Ino, but Sakura knew there would be no getting rid of her.

The moment their dorm room door slammed behind Sakura, Ino whirled on her – eyes alight with curiosity and the insurmountable need for new gossip. "Oh. My. God. Sakura!"

"Ino," Sakura groaned, rubbing her already aching head. "I don't know what that was any more than you do."

"Uh, I definitely know what that was!" Ino was practically squealing with delight. "He is so into you, Forehead! And he's you're professor, and he's so dreamy!" This time, Ino really did squeal. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?" Sakura laughed out loud. "You're kidding, right? I'm not going to do anything. He's a jerk and he's my professor. I don't even know why he would've risked doing something like that somewhere so public – anyone could have seen that exchange and I'm sure that could've gotten him in trouble. Or at the very least looked bad."

"If he's such a jerk, why do you care if he gets in trouble?" Ino's self-satisfied smirk made the tic in Sakura's forehead jump.

"Because it will look bad for me too, you know that nobody in that class likes me as it is," Sakura punctuated her sentence with a juvenile face flashed in Ino's direction. "If they think that there's something going on with me and the professor, they'll absolutely massacre me."

"Is there something going on with you and the professor?" the glint of pure mischief in Ino's eyes made Sakura nauseous.

"Ino, no," Sakura all but ripped her earrings out of her ears. "There is nothing going on. That was the most interaction I've ever had with him, and he was probably just drunk. You don't know how he actually is."

"I know he's actually got the hots for you," Ino threw a butterfly shaped pillow at Sakura. "You'd have to be blind or stupid to think he doesn't."

"Regardless, Pig, I have to ignore it, for all the reasons I just gave you. Not to mention, he's like seven years older than me," Sakura sighed, doing her best to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. "He's probably just lonely or something, and he doesn't know what he's doing."

"You're so oblivious, Forehead," Ino pouted, grabbing her shower stuff and heading for the bathroom. "Just wait and see."

Every step Sakura took towards class on Monday was like a step towards her own funeral. She had never before so seriously considered skipping class – something Sakura considered to be especially heinous. There were only three weeks until the first exam, and no matter how uncomfortable she was, Sakura could not justify skipping class over something so ridiculous.

And so, she walked into the lecture hall, eyes downcast so as not to draw further attention to herself. She wasn't happy to be there, but if she could just push through the hour she'd be free of Sasuke and her horrible classmates…until Wednesday, that is.

Sakura's heart sank when she reached her row. Karin was in her seat, talking animatedly to the students around her. When the redhead noticed Sakura, she smiled at her with a fake, sticky-sweetness that made Sakura a little sick to her stomach. Gripping the straps of her backpack with a fierceness she didn't know she had in her, Sakura breathed out slowly through her teeth. She decided a fight over a seat wasn't worth it, and so she turned and trudged towards the back of the class where Karin's seat was. This time, she held her head high. Screw all the assholes, she wasn't going to care. She didn't care.

…she cared a little.

Sakura grimaced as she took her new seat at the back of the class. She had to squint to see the blackboard. Those glasses she needed had just never quite been in the budget, and now she was going to suffer for it. Anger bubbled up under her skin yet again, and she distracted herself by thinking of the many ways Karin could be smashed by a variety of large objects.

Those thoughts only held her interest for so long, though. Sasuke was late. Although she had only been in Sasuke's class three times, she got the feeling that it was very uncommon for him to be late. She was instantly reminded of their encounter on Friday night – of his behavior. He'd almost flirted with her, he'd bought her drinks. He'd warned her to stay away from Kabuto…even though she wasn't so sure about that yet.

The instant quiet in the class caused Sakura to look up. Sasuke had come flying in looking like a bat out of hell. His normally elegant hair looked like a pigeon had taken up residence there the night before. Sakura couldn't see him well from her blurry back-of-the-room view, but he seemed…off. His posture was slouched, and it looked like his shirt was untucked.

It took him a minute to turn and address the class, but when he did, his eyes immediately fell on Karin in Sakura's seat. Absently, he snapped the chalk that he had been holding in his hand in two.

"Uzumaki. Haruno. This isn't musical chairs. I assigned you seats for a reason. Switch back." Sasuke's tone was clipped. He didn't bother picking up the broken piece of chalk.

Surprised that Karin didn't say anything, Sakura began to gather her things. Normally, she would have been embarrassed, but she was getting used to being treated unfairly in this class. At this point, nothing much would affect her.

Her cheeks only burned slightly as she began her descent down the many steps towards her own seat. She did her best to keep her eyes averted away from anyone looking at her, worried that she might wind up punching someone if she wasn't careful. Karin was advancing towards her up the stairs, a look of pure malice marring her normally pretty features. As they passed each other, Karin stuck her foot out at an odd angle. The staircase was narrow, and so Sakura tripped over the offending appendage and flipped head over heels down several stairs, books flying. Several snickers and whistles erupted from the meanest of the students.

Now she was embarrassed, and angry beyond belief. Had Karin seriously just tripped her? How petty was this girl? Sakura winced as she stood to gather her books, a jolt of pain shooting from her ankle up the side of her leg. She had definitely sprained or twisted it. She could tell that her entire face was probably the color of a ripe tomato at this point.

"Uzumaki Karin," Sasuke's voice startled Sakura, and she looked up to see absolute loathing on the usually emotionless teacher's face. "Take your things and leave the classroom."

Uzumaki. Hm, Sakura noted that and decided she'd have to ask Naruto if they were related.

"W-what?" Karin's face went pale, and Sakura couldn't keep the grin from her face as she made her way back to her seat towards the front, limping slightly. "What do you mean, Uchiha-sensei?"

"I mean," Sasuke growled out, and Sakura was close enough to him now to see that he was grinding his teeth. "That you need to leave. Physical attacks against other students are not tolerated in this class."

"Attacks?" the feigned innocence in Karin's voice made Sakura livid. "She tripped!"

"I watched you trip her," Sasuke's voice was absolute, and Karin must have sensed it. "Leave. We will discuss your continuing in this class later."

Sakura didn't turn to watch her go, but she couldn't keep the shit-eating grin from her lips. Even though her ankle was throbbing painfully, it was almost worth it to see Karin get kicked out of class in front of everyone. She deserved it, after all.

Maybe class wouldn't be so bad today…

Sakura deliberately walked passed Sasuke's desk on the way out of class, meaning to shoot him a good-natured smile on the way out. Even if he was a dick, she was still extremely grateful to him for handling Karin. He could have easily ignored it and just pretended that Sakura had tripped clumsily.

As she made to walk passed him, his words stopped her in her tracks. "She did trip you, right?"

Sakura frowned at him. "Didn't you see?"

This mischief in Sasuke's half-smile caught Sakura off-guard. He coughed a little. "No. It was a hunch."

Sakura was dumbfounded. "A hunch? What if you had been wrong? I'm pretty clumsy. You did see the frisbee incident."

Sasuke's hand went to the back of his neck and he shrugged, looking effortless yet again. "She had it coming."

The classroom was empty now, otherwise Sakura wouldn't have continued the conversation for fear of unwanted attention. "You seem…tired. Are you okay?" Sakura could barely believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. This was way not a good idea. The future doctor in her had a habit of rearing its head at the worst possible moments.

Sasuke had begun to gather his things, pushing the sleeves of his untucked dress shirt up as he did so. Sakura couldn't help but notice the rippling cords of muscle in his forearms, and she swallowed thickly. Maybe staying after class was a bad idea.

"Yeah I'm…tired," Sasuke's voice was low, this level of civility from him was unnerving at best. "Very tired." He made eye contact with her then, and Sakura still wasn't used to the intensity of his gaze. Tired suddenly seemed like something else entirely.

"Um," Sakura didn't know why she was still standing there, but her palms were sweating and her ankle was still throbbing. "Well, I'm going to go to work, see you Monday." She took a step and immediately faltered, her bad ankle failing her immediately. "Shit," she muttered, lifting her bad foot off the ground momentarily.

"You should probably get that x-rayed," Sasuke commented absently while erasing the writing from the chalkboard, not bothering to turn and look at her. It was baffling how he could say something polite while sounding so indifferent.

Sakura actually laughed at that. "Fat chance. I'm sure it's just twisted." There was no way she could afford an x-ray for something so silly – her insurance was garbage and her copay would likely be ridiculous.

Sasuke turned to frown at her then. "Are you stupid?"

Ah, there was that asshole she knew and most certainly didn't love.

"Not stupid," Sakura bit back, "Just broke."

"Didn't you just say you were going to work?" Sasuke snapped at her this time, any hint of indifference gone from his voice now, replaced by that classic irritability.

"School isn't free, contrary to popular belief," Sakura was struggling with her temper now. "Not everyone has family money to lean on."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Sakura considered that she might have gone too far. "Don't talk about my family," Sasuke spat at her. Any trace of the smile that had been on his face before was completely gone.

"Don't call me stupid, then," Sakura ground out, turning on her heel to go, steeling herself against the pain in her ankle.

"Wait."

Sakura paused. The way his tone could shift from polite to indifferent to angry to pained in a mere minute continued to confuse her. He was the very definition of volatile.

"What?" she didn't turn around. "I don't know what you expect me to say."

"I could pay to get your ankle x-rayed."

Sakura spun around at that, immediately regretting it due to the shooting pain in her ankle. "No way! Are you crazy? That would be a total waste of your money. It's not broken and I would never except money from someone to get an x-ray of an unbroken bone. Thanks but no thanks. Why do you even care?" Sakura regretted that last bit, her tone was a little too harsh to be speaking to someone who just offered to pay a medical bill for her. "I'm sorry I just…can't let you do that."

Sasuke's mouth had worked itself into a tight line. "Fine. But can't your parents at least help you pay for one?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, regretting her pink hair as she blushed slightly and envisioned herself looking like a strawberry. "Ah, no. That's part of why I'm doing all this," Sakura gestured vaguely, completely unsure of why this man deserved any knowledge about her life. "You know, someday I'm going to support them and pay them back for raising me. So they can have a nice life."

Sasuke just stared at her then, with a look on his face that for once she couldn't read. After a moment, and then another, he simply nodded at her. "Noble," he said, and Sakura couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic. She didn't much care at this point, as she was already shaky and sweating from being under his gaze for so long in addition to the pain in her ankle.

"I really have to go but…thank you," Sakura nodded back at him and rushed out of the classroom, not sure what she had thanked him for but not regretting it. One step out of the doorway, she turned back. "Sasuke?"

He turned to look at her, a slightly expectant look on his face that made him look so…young. Really cute. And Sakura's mouth was suddenly dry and her knees were suddenly weak and oh damn she needed to leave because what the hell was happening. "Nothing! Never mind," she all but squeaked, turning and fleeing the scene like a guilty child.

Fuck, maybe she should switch sections of the class…

But she knew she wouldn't. She didn't think she could.

Work was such a relief after class. Sakura only had to check-in a handful of students all shift. Tsunade sat and talked with her for a while, thankfully not bringing up her dark-haired nightmare. The doctor gave her tips about schooling and medicine, and told Sakura all kinds of stories from her days in the hospital.

Sakura felt extremely close to the woman for some reason – like she had somehow known Tsunade all of her life. She was like an aunt, or a second mother, really. Sakura would probably never voice that feeling out loud, but she couldn't help but feel inextricably tied to the woman on a deep level. It sort of reminded her of her connection with Naruto. It was special, and Sakura was very grateful.

By the time her shift was over, Sakura felt quite a bit better due to her time with Tsunade and getting to study uninterrupted for a large part of the day. She packed up her bag quickly, eager to get back to her room to put on sweats and go to the ultimate frisbee game – she wouldn't be able to play, but she wanted to be there to cheer on her friends.

Standing to go, Sakura immediately faltered on her sore ankle, nearly dropping her bag. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath, regaining her balance and wincing.

"What happened to your ass?" Tsunade's voice startled her, causing her to almost drop her bag yet again.

"Oh," Sakura did her best to laugh good-naturedly. "About that…"

"Spill." Tsunade's tone was unflinching, and Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to lie to the woman.

"You know that girl Karin? The redhead in my class who doesn't like me?"

"Yes," Tsunade's voice had taken on a dangerous edge. "Go on."

"Well, she took my seat in class today – we have assigned seats – and Sasuke made us switch back. When I passed her going down the steps, she tripped me and I fell down the stairs," Sakura couldn't help but take a slight step back from Tsunade, the vein in the woman's forehead was quite frankly terrifying.

"Little bitch needs put in her place," Tsunade pressed her mouth into a firm line. "That kind of childish behavior is just pathetic."

Sakura couldn't help but smile a little then. "Sasuke did kick her out of class."

"Did he now?" Tsunade's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. "Any other stories about Sasuke you wish to share?"

"No," Sakura clipped too quickly, and she knew without a doubt that Tsunade could read her like a book.

"Alright, that settles it," Tsunade brushed invisible dust off her hands. "We're going for coffee and you're telling me whatever it is that you're not telling me. I'll take a look at that ankle, too."

Sakura simply grimaced while Tsunade gathered her things in preparation to close the clinic, knowing that the woman was on a warpath and there was no stopping her now.

"So," the blonde doctor stirred the milk into her coffee deliberately. "Lay it on me."

Sakura sipped her tea slowly, doing her best to stall and only gaining herself a few seconds. "Um, well…I mean, Tsunade, I don't want to get anyone in trouble or anything."

Tsunade dropped her spoon. "In trouble? Oh-ho, what kind of story are you about to tell me, little miss Sakura?"

Heat rising to her cheeks, Sakura nearly choked on her tea. "Nothing like that! I just mean –"

Tsunade held up her hand to stop the student from speaking. "Whatever you tell me stays between us – unless of course you're getting hurt in some way. In the case, I might have to kick that little pretentious bastard's ass."

Smiling a little at the older woman's terminology, Sakura decided that she really trusted the woman. "So, Friday night, I went out with four of my friends to the bar on Fifth. The four of them are essentially two unofficial couples, and so eventually they wandered off in pairs and I was at the bar alone. All of a sudden…well, Sasuke was there. He kind of…flirted with me, I guess. He keeps telling me he thinks I'm attractive without really saying the words. At least I think that's what he's doing. And then, well, for some reason he paid my tab, I don't know why. I guess he did it before he even sat down and started talking to me. He's so confusing."

Sakura had been staring into her mug of tea throughout her story, and when she chanced a glance up at Tsunade to gauge her reaction, she was met with open-mouthed shock. Maybe telling her the story wasn't such a good idea…the woman looked downright traumatized.

"Um, are you okay?" Sakura waved her hand in front of the older woman's face. "Tsunade?"

"I think I'm in shock," Tsunade shook her head. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Sakura?"

"Nothing! I don't know!" Sakura buried her head in her folded arms. "I swear, I didn't do anything to encourage this, although I always get the impression that he's somehow blaming for…whatever this is."

"Oh, Sakura," Tsunade smiled a bit. "It is your fault."

"I'm sorry, what?" Sakura's head flew up off the table, now it was her turn to be shocked.

"You're cursed with perfection," Tsunade rolled her eyes, assuming her regular sassy behavior. "You're beautiful, smart, funny. Even Sasuke can't resist you."

Sakura promptly returned her head to the table. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"Just be careful, Sakura," Tsunade patted her on the head. "Your secret is safe with me, but some of the other faculty might take issue with this. Don't let it get any farther than this harmless little flirtatiousness, it could end bad for you both. Especially Sasuke. The other professors are always on the lookout for a way to get Sasuke in hot water."

"Nothing is going to happen," Sakura groaned from her place on the table. "I'm not even sure he means any of what he's doing."

"Mhm," was all Tsunade said, as she went back to her coffee with a private smile on her face.

Sakura frowned from the sideline of the frisbee game, watching Naruto takeout yet another innocent frisbee player with one of his overly-ambitious throws. That boy was going to be the death of her one day, she knew he would.

Or Sasuke might…

Sakura swallowed thickly. Why did he have to be handsome? That just made everything so much worse and so much harder to deal with. His attention was really starting to get to her now, and while she thought she could ignore him, she now found herself sitting around idly and thinking about their last interaction. She couldn't afford to let herself get carried away – she didn't have time for boys…especially boys who were actually men and also her professor. It was all a bit of harmless flirtation, or something like that. She couldn't rationalize why he had offered to pay for her x-ray…maybe he was concerned about school liability since it happened in class?

No. She wasn't stupid, he wasn't stupid. But still, she couldn't quite figure out why he had done that, but she was exhausted thinking about it and she just wanted a break from him. She'd only known him a couple of weeks and already he was invading the private recesses of her mind.

At least lab was tomorrow, and she wouldn't have to see him. She had a full thirty-six hours free from his scrutiny, free from his suffocating, intoxicating presence. Sakura smiled, turning her attention back to the game just in time to see Naruto somersaulting into the endzone.

AN: hmm, this isn't my favorite chapter and it's a little short, but hopefully you guys like it. I couldn't really get it quite right. I do like chapter five, so I'm excited to post that one for you guys and see what you think!

Thank you for all of your kind reviews and for following the story! I do hope you're enjoying it :)

For those of you concerned that their relationship is moving too quickly: don't worry. I'm just trying to convey that they have this weird, magnetic attraction that neither one of them understands quite yet. There won't be any early love confessions or anything else like that xD

~ loony