Ten
Sakura didn't know how to think – or more importantly, how to feel. Her mind was in emotional torment all throughout midterms week, and she had Sasuke to thank for that. Nonetheless, she managed to do well on her tests – or at least she thought so. Grades wouldn't be up until the following week.
The only exam left was Sasuke's on Friday, which also happened to be Halloween.
Wednesday's class had been uncomfortable for Sakura. She felt as though Sasuke's eyes didn't leave her face for the entirety of the lecture. She was pretty sure she was exaggerating, but it did feel like every time she lifted her eyes to her professor, he was burning holes through her head with his gaze.
She sat pondering the meaning behind this (if there even was a meaning), in her Anatomy lab on Thursday. She was truly beginning to feel at a loss. She hadn't talked to Tsunade about the situation in awhile, maybe it was time for a chat…
"Sakura?" a voice startled her out of her thoughts, and Sakura realized she had been zoning out.
"Oh, yes?" Sakura cringed, looking up to find Kabuto's eyebrows raised.
"I asked if you could come up to the front and label this diagram, please," Kabuto smiled coolly at her.
"Oh! Sure, sorry," Sakura mumbled, standing to go up to the board.
"No problem," the white-haired man was still smiling amiably at her. "I was sorry to see that you were sick, Sakura," he added on more quietly once Sakura had reached the board.
"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Sakura lied, not really wanting to get into a conversation with Kabuto. It was kind of weird that he was even bringing up her illness, that had been awhile ago. Her skin was crawling standing this close to him. Lately, he'd been giving off strange, predatory vibes that really freaked her out. She set to work filling out the anatomy diagram, hoping he wouldn't continue speaking to her.
"Are you prepared for the midterm tomorrow? Do you need any help –"
"I think I'm ready!" Sakura cut him off, not giving him the chance to offer to tutor her. "And I think I've finished the diagram."
Kabuto's smile took on a sharper edge. He still looked polite, but there was something unmistakably sinister hidden behind the curve of his lips. "It would seem you have. Good luck tomorrow, Sakura."
Sakura could only nod at the man before hastily returning to her work station. She wasn't sure if it was her own intuition, or Sasuke and Tsunade's warnings about the man, but Kabuto was really starting to creep her out. She was doing her best to avoid him, but he always seemed to call on her in lab and pay extra attention to her.
Shaking off the creeping feeling Kabuto had given her, Sakura returned to her work and hoped to get out of lab without further incident.
Sakura's heart was pounding so loudly in her ears she barely heard Sasuke's voice when he said: "Begin."
Clenching her eyes shut tightly, Sakura did her best to ward off some of the worst test anxiety she had ever had. It was to the point that she was dizzy and nauseous now, and opening her eyes made her feel like the room was spinning around her. Her hands were shaking so badly she didn't even want to try to pick up her pencil.
She knew the material for the test – she knew she did. This was just an extremely important exam and Sasuke standing there staring at her made it all the worse. She had to fight to keep thoughts of him from entering her mind, she had to remain focused on the test. She didn't have time to get distracted.
Sakura opened her eyes and took in the first question, refusing to look up at her professor. She didn't have any time to pay attention to him.
The test was hard. Like, really, hard. Sakura was certain a number of students in the class would be failing. She wasn't even confident in half of her answers – and that terrified her. Even with all of her previous test anxiety, she had never felt so miserable about an exam in all of her life.
She trudged up to Sasuke's desk on shaky legs, not caring if anyone had finished before her or who was watching her. The only person she cared about was staring right at her as she approached his desk and dropped her papers lightly down in front if him.
"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Sasuke said quietly, eyeing her expression warily. It was the most emotion she'd seen on his face in what felt like forever.
"You'll be seeing my ghost soon if I don't pass this test," Sakura attempted to joke quietly.
The look on his face made her immediately regret it. He clearly hadn't found her joke funny.
"You passed," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"We don't know that," Sakura mumbled, averting her gaze.
"I know that."
"How?" she asked the floor, unable to meet Sasuke's eyes again with the blush staining her cheeks. "What if I fail?"
"I won't let you," came Sasuke's immediate reply.
The thought that he was willing to commit academic fraud on her part was rather flattering, coming from him, but it just made Sakura angry. "I don't need your help."
"Tough," Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.
Sakura stood there spluttering for a moment, planning to stomp out of the room when his next words stopped her in her tracks.
"You're cute when you're mad, you know. It's annoying."
Sakura's angry blush turned to an embarrassed one. Had he really just called her cute in front of the whole class? Not that anyone could hear him, but still…
And had he really just called her cute?
"Y-you're kidding," Sakura stuttered, not even knowing what she was really asking.
"I don't tend to kid, no," Sasuke deadpanned, never moving his eyes from her face.
Sakura's face somehow got redder, she was fairly certain the tips of her ears would be able to start a fire. "We need to talk about t-this later," Sakura pulled her backpack closer. "I have to go to work."
She fled from the room like a mouse being chased by a cat. Come to think of it – she felt exactly like a mouse, and Sasuke was the cat who was toying with her. Until he inevitably ripped her heart out, that is.
Just what kind of feelings did she have for Sasuke, anyway? Was it romantic, or was it just because he was gorgeous and she wanted him physically? Ugh, her brain hurt just thinking about it. The feelings she had for Sasuke were totally unique, she had never experienced anything like them before.
Sakura was behind the desk at work before she knew it, head still spinning from the exam and from Sasuke. She nearly had a heart attack when her phone buzzed loudly on the desk beside the keyboard some time later.
96%, was all the text from Sasuke read.
Wait…did that mean?
I passed?! Sakura texted back hastily, barely daring to believe the good news.
Don't act so surprised, idiot.
Sakura rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment. Thanks…
Any big Halloween plans this evening, Ms. Straight A's? he texted back, surprising Sakura. Someone was certainly feeling talkative today…
Party at my friend Kiba's, Sakura replied.
…Inuzaka? Sasuke's text asked.
Furrowing her brow, Sakura quickly replied. Yeah, you know him?
His brother. He's an old friend.
Ah, you have friends? Shocker. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle as she sent the message.
Idiot, was his one word response.
It had her smiling nonetheless.
"Hmmm, texting a special someone, are we?" Tsunade's voice startled Sakura into dropping her phone.
"No!" Sakura made a mad grab for her phone on the floor, probably making herself look even guiltier. "Just…no one."
Great, Sakura, she'll never suspect a thing, her inner voice taunted her.
Tsunade merely quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah. We really need to work on your lying."
Sakura sighed. "Fine. It was…Sasuke. He was just texting me about my midterm grade though!"
"Already?" Tsunade questioned, taking the seat next to her. "Didn't you just take that exam this morning?"
"Um…yeah," Sakura tried for a nonchalant grin.
"And he's already graded your test?"
"I guess?"
"Just yours?"
"I don't know."
"Are grades posted?"
"No."
"I see."
Sakura's head was spinning from the back and forth interaction. She knew she couldn't hide anything from this woman. "I think…he wanted me to know because he knew I was nervous."
Tsunade chuckled lightly. "You should know…that may be the most courteous act Uchiha Sasuke has ever done."
"Oh god," Sakura tipped her head into her hands. "What is going on?"
"Now, now," Tsunade tutted. "What else happened?"
How did she…
"He…" Sakura coughed awkwardly. "He called me cute."
Tsunade's burst of laughter caused Sakura to jerk her head up and glare at the cackling woman. Typical of her to laugh at Sakura's pain…what an old bitch.
"I'm sorry," Tsunade flapped a hand while wiping tears from her eyes. "I just – I just didn't even know the word cute was in his vocabulary."
"Well it is," Sakura snapped, not finding the situation funny in the slightest. "And he used the vile word on me."
"Aw, Sakura," Tsunade did her best to reign her laughter in, (and Sakura had to wonder how many drinks she had had). "Give the poor guy a break. You've smitten him and he has no idea what to do with you."
"I haven't smitten anybody!" Sakura returned her head to it's perch in her hands. "If anything, I'm afraid I'm the one who's smitten. I don't know what's wrong with me."
The laughter stopped completely, then. Tsunade's hand came to rest comfortingly on her shoulder. "Nothing is wrong with you, Sakura. You're young, and you're having feelings you probably haven't really had before. To be honest with you, I doubt Sasuke has had them either. I guarantee you, he's just as lost as you are, if not more so."
Sakura was left speechless at that. Was Tsunade really saying that Sasuke was even more confused than she was? That he didn't know what he was doing either? "I was kind of afraid that…that this is something he does routinely. With students, I mean."
"That, you don't have to worry about. I've never seen Sasuke so much as glance at a woman. His poor mother is absolutely distraught that he doesn't have an elite girlfriend to bring with him to family events," Tsunade rolled her eyes as she spoke.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized how much that thought had worried her until it had been dispelled. At least he didn't have as girlfriend…
"Are you doing anything for Halloween tonight?" Tsunade asked, clearly changing the subject for Sakura's sake.
"Yeah," muttered Sakura, still feeling moody. "Party."
"Hmmm, well be careful," Tsunade wagged her finger as she stood up. "Sasuke may not be the ooey-gooey type, but I've never met someone so jealous in all my life. I can't imagine the wrath he might bestow on a boy lucky enough to gain your attention at a party."
"How would he even know?" Sakura asked, a little creeped out by Tsunade's words.
Tsunade simply shrugged on her way back to her office. "Uchihas have their ways of finding things out…"
Sakura merely snorted. When did the old bat get so cryptic, anyway?
"You look so cute!"
Sakura cringed at the word. "Thanks, Pig. You're sure this isn't too much?" she gestured at the makeup Ino had spent an hour applying.
"Uh, no way! And once we put your outfit on, you'll look amazing!" Ino clapped her hands together excitedly.
Sakura couldn't believe she had let Naruto talk her into this. She was going as Midori, a character from she and Naruto's favorite video game. Midori had pink hair too, so the costume was kind of perfect.
The "outfit" consisted of small, tight black shorts and a bright green shirt riddled with holes that slipped off her left shoulder, leaving the whole world with a nice view of her black bra strap. Black combat boots and three fake shuriken hanging from a chain at her side completed the costume.
Ino had swept her pink hair up into a messy up-do, with pieces here and there falling out making it look like Sakura had just been in a fight. Sakura had to give it to her – Ino had done a great job transforming her into the character.
"Oh god, Ino," Sakura cringed once she had the outfit on. "Are we sure about this? I kinda feel a little slutty."
Ino looked affronted. "It's Halloween! You're supposed to look slutty."
"Fine, but –"
"No buts! It's Halloween, you look crazy hot, and we're going out!"
"Can I at least wear a coat?"
"No!"
The party was pretty insane. Sakura had lost Ino – who was dressed as a purple cat – almost immediately. The house was packed with college students, and some who seemed older, possibly alumni. She had lost Naruto in the mess too, he had dropped the girls off at the door and then gone to park the car. Hinata must have found him, though, as the pale-eyed girl had at some point left Sakura's side.
Sakura rolled her eyes. Typical that she would wind up alone at the party. Her friends meant well, but they were distracted by their own relationships. Sakura could understand that.
"Hey, Sakura! Glad you could make it! You look awesome!" Kiba wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, coming up from behind her.
"Oh, hey Kiba," Sakura grinned at the drunken frat boy beside her. "Thanks for having me."
Sakura had always liked Kiba, he was fun and sweet. Kiba, on the other hand, had always liked Sakura a little too much, so she was wary of him. He was something of a womanizer. Mostly harmless, but she could never be too careful.
"No problem! The 'rents are out of town, so you know I had to have a Halloween party!"
"Well, I'm glad you did," Sakura patted Kiba's arm good-naturedly. "You got a good turnout!"
A loud thud came from upstairs, loud enough to be heard over the music.
"Damn idiots," Kiba muttered towards the ceiling.
"Who?" Sakura asked, glancing up at the ceiling as well.
"My dumb ass older brother and his friends," Kiba shook his head. "They're too cool to come down here with us, I guess. Hey, Shino!"
Kiba took off then, dashing through the crowd to meet his friend (who was wearing a high collar and sunglasses…weird). Sakura chuckled at the boy's antics – he reminded her a bit of Naruto, sometimes.
Sipping her drink, Sakura edged toward the back door. There were way too many people at this party. The air in the house was stuffy and humid and the cool air drifting from beneath the door was enticing. Not to mention, Sakura hated crowds, and this certainly was a big one. She was bumping into someone every couple of seconds and it was getting overwhelming.
Quietly, Sakura snuck out the backdoor onto the deck, immediately hit with icy cold air of almost-November. It quickly became less refreshing and more absolutely freezing, but the break from the party was worth it.
Since it was so cold, there was no one else out on the deck. Or so she thought.
"Sakura?" Sasuke's strangled voice came from behind her.
Sakura turned just in time to see the cigarette drop from between his limp fingers. He was standing there staring at her, wearing black jeans and a dark grey hoodie.
In all the time she had known him, in all the instances she had caught him staring, she had never seen him look at her the way he was looking now. He looked like a man starved. His eyes dragged up and down her form unashamedly, finally coming to rest on her perfectly made-up face.
"S-Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Sakura choked out, forgetting about the cold momentarily.
"Hitoshi," was all Sasuke said, in that same, strangled tone.
"Oh, Kiba's brother? Wait, why didn't you tell me you'd be here, I told you before that –"
Sasuke advanced on her so quickly, Sakura had to clamp her mouth shut to keep from releasing a startled gasp. He was now standing less than a foot away from her, towering over her in a way that made her have to crane her neck backwards to see him properly.
Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. "W-what are you doing?" she shivered out. "What is this Sasuke?" The drinks had loosened her tongue. "I just don't understand, why are you – "
Sakura was cut off again. This time, by Sasuke's lips crushing against her own.
Sakura was shocked into complete stillness. This didn't seem to dissuade Sasuke, however, as his hands clamped down on her hips as though to anchor her to him. His mouth pressed against hers fully, and it was only a matter of seconds before Sakura was kissing him back. She threw her arms around his neck and lifted to her tiptoes in order to make the kiss more comfortable, and these acts only seemed to encourage him. His hands tightened against her hips and he somehow pulled her closer, his body heat helping to warm her.
She shivered, and she wasn't sure if it was due to the temperature, or the kiss.
It was clear to her that they were both acting on two months of tension in that one, bruising kiss. Feeling brave for some reason or another, Sakura ran her tongue lightly along the edge of Sasuke's lower lip, earning a groan from the man in response.
That groan was enough to bring Sakura to her senses. Pushing against his chest, she sent herself hurtling backwards, nearly landing on her ass.
"W-wait," she stuttered. "Wait, wait, wait…wait. What? We're kissing now? Since when are we kissing? What the hell is going on?"
"Stop talking," Sasuke muttered, closing the space between them and grabbing her shoulders, pulling her back to him.
The second kiss was calmer, deeper. Sakura didn't fight it. The cold, however, was starting to become a problem. She was freezing, and even Sasuke's intense body heat wasn't enough to keep her warm.
Ever intuitive, Sasuke seemed to notice and backed off from her, shrugging out of his hoodie as he did so. He draped it around Sakura's shoulders in a surprising display of gentleness. It was the same hoodie from before…
They were both breathing heavily when they finally made eye-contact.
"Who's taking you home?"
Sakura's eyes widened at the question. Was he asking her…
Seeing the look on her face, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Tch. Who's driving you home?"
"Oh," Sakura stuttered awkwardly. "Um, Naruto."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed into thin slits at the mention of a boy's name.
"What?" Sakura questioned defensively. "He's a friend."
"A friend?"
"Yeah, he's the one who leant me those clothes…" Sakura trailed off, seeing she was making the situation worse. Sasuke's eye had started twitching.
"Has this Naruto been drinking?" Sasuke questioned, beginning to sound a bit like Sakura's mother.
"Um, probably?"
"I'll drive you back."
"What? Why?" Sakura furrowed her brow, still short of breath from their kiss only moments before. Her only satisfaction came from noticing the slight tremble in Sasuke's hands. Apparently, the kiss had affected him as well.
"Because," was all Sasuke spat.
"Sakura-san!"
Sasuke took several steps back from her, angling himself behind a fake, decorative fern just beside the door just as Lee came flying out onto the deck.
"Oh god, Lee! Did they let you drink again?" Sakura took a few steps back from the stumbling boy.
"Sakura-sannnn! You look so beeee—youtiful! I had to come proclaim my affections to you!" Lee slurred, tipping dangerously on his feet.
Sakura blushed. She could practically feel the waves of anger rolling from Sasuke. She needed to fix this situation.
Luckily for her, Lee took care of that, as he collapsed limply onto her shoulder. Sakura caught him with her weird strength and held him there against her – until Sasuke grabbed him by the collar that is. He hoisted the smaller man up and quickly dropped him, letting him slump onto the deck.
"Sasuke!" Sakura squealed, immediately kneeling to check on Lee. "He's harmless you asshole!"
"Hn," was all Sasuke said as he glared down at them.
"If you're not going to be helpful, just go back inside," Sakura growled at him.
"And leave you with this guy?" Sasuke snorted. "Please."
Flurries of snow had started to rain down, and goosebumps erupted on Sakura's exposed legs.
Deciding to play a little dirty, just to see if it would work, Sakura busted out her best puppy eyes and pouted up at Sasuke. "Please help me, Sasuke? It's cold."
The look on Sasuke's face was absolutely seething. "Fine." He reached down and lifted the boy easily. "I'll go put him on the couch. You go around the house and wait for me out front."
"Who said I'm ready to go?" Sakura teased.
Sasuke shot a skeptical glance at her. "You chose to stand outside alone in the freezing cold rather than be inside. I'd say you're ready to go."
Sakura simply stuck her tongue out at him before nodding and heading around the house. She really was ready to go, so she wouldn't push it too far.
The reality that Sasuke had kissed her was really starting to sink in, and she was freaking out. In a way, she was ecstatic. She felt like her feelings had been validated, and at least Sasuke seemed to be attracted to her. But she was also terrified. She had just made out with her professor, dressed as Midori, at a Halloween party. And he was about to drive her home…
She sent a quick text to Ino, explaining that she got a ride back to the dorm and would be leaving.
"Ready?"
Sasuke was there far sooner than she had been expecting. "Um, sure. If you are."
"Aa," Sasuke mumbled, motioning for her to follow him.
They walked in silence down the block, Sakura trailing a few steps behind Sasuke at all times. She felt childish in his sweatshirt. It extended past her hands and past the hem of her shorts as well.
The look on Sasuke's face when he turned to look at her told her he saw her as anything but childish. There was a certain possessiveness to his gaze as he took in the sight of her being swallowed by his sweater, and it caused Sakura to shiver. Maybe this was all physical, maybe if they just…
Sakura's lewd thought was interrupted by the sound of Sasuke opening his car's passenger door, motioning for her to get in. She slid into the seat obediently, not looking up at him as he slammed the door shut.
A moment later, he was sitting next to her in the driver's seat, immediately starting the car and turning on the heat. He had to be cold too, since he was now just in a t-shirt. The sight of his muscled arms put a lump in Sakura's throat. She was suddenly swamped by images of a shirtless Sasuke and for the love of god that was the last thing she needed.
Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to keep herself warm – her legs were almost numb.
"Seatbelt."
"What?" had she heard him right?
"Stop sitting like that and put on your seatbelt," Sasuke snapped at her.
"But you're not even wearing one!" Sakura pouted, pulling the belt down across her lap regardless.
"Tough. You have to," Sasuke muttered.
Was he…being protective? Or was he being an asshole? Sakura was beginning to think that this was going to be a common theme with Sasuke…
The rest of the drive was spent in tense, charged silence. Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to jump him or out the window. The air was thick and heavy between them, and Sakura was finding it harder and harder to breathe. It made her feel better to see that Sasuke seemed to be struggling to. His jaw was clenched and his hands gripped the steering wheel with unnecessary force.
He parked his car in the faculty lot. A quick scan of campus told Sakura almost everyone was in bed at that hour or gone at parties, so she felt relatively safe walking around with Sasuke.
He walked her back to her dorm, for which she thanked him. She tried to give him back his hoodie, and he declined it.
The pair stood staring at each other blankly for almost a full minute before Sakura found it within herself to turn. She was to the door of her building before she got the courage to turn back around.
"Hey, Sasuke?" she started.
She blinked at the empty sidewalk below.
He was already gone.
AN: Whoop, there it is! :D A kiss, finally. Also, I know Kiba doesn't have a brother, but I made one up for the sake of this story, haha.
A lot of you have asked for Sasuke's POV. I want to keep Sasuke's thoughts and feelings a mystery for the most part, but Chapter 11 DOES include a little snippet told from Sasuke's POV. Chapter 11 is also pretty spicy, if you know what I mean ;) be prepared, the rating will be changing to M soon.
I'm going to an anime convention this weekend, so Chapter 11 will probably be up…Monday?
HUGE thank you to TheBlackBriarSparrow for beta reading my chapters for me and giving me awesome ideas and advice. She's amazing so check out her fic!