.
.
.
Sasuke never really understood what it meant when people said that they could feel their hearts in their throats, never really understood how such a feeling of surprise and relief and hope could be there, caught in his chest, pooling into the pit of his stomach.
But he feels it now, feels his heart in his throat as he stares at this sleeping girl.
Strands of pink hair keep falling across her peaceful face and he wonders how anyone can sleep so soundly on such a loud, shaky train.
The heavy sliding doors suddenly close as the last person steps off and again, the train is moving.
One more stop to go, his stop and probably hers too.
Behind her, the sun is rising higher and higher into the blue sky, creating a halo of white light above her head, streaking down onto her pale face.
The streak of the light hits the top of her cheekbone, drawing his attention to the structure of her features.
Her nose is soft and straight, curving at the tip.
Her lips are full, the bottom slightly more plump than the top and they are smooth like rose petals.
He wonders why he can't take his eyes off of her, why is she so alluring?
Sasuke is never fixated with any one person or thing, he isn't bothered by trivial things like girls with pink hair and soft, milky thighs.
But this girl, this girl who is naive enough to sleep on the subway, sparks his attention and he's suddenly he's on fire.
He's still staring at her when the train comes to another harsh stop. He tightens his grip around the hanging handle and sways with the train's halting motion.
The sudden stop jerks the sleeping girl forward, her green eyes flutter open, a quiet gasp pushes past her lips in surprise.
And she's staring back at him.
He can hear the sliding doors open with a gust of spring air, the sweet smell of cherry blossoms surround him and he's not sure if it's the breeze or the girl in front of him.
She's staring back at him with perplexed eyes, watching him like he's been watching her, curiously and carefully.
There are roses, red and warm, blooming across her cheeks.
Sasuke wants to reach his hand out, brush his fingers against her heated flesh and it's so unlike him, so different from the apathetic persona he's created for others to see.
He lets go of his tight grip on the hanging handle and before he can move his fingers, she's looking away, grabbing her backpack, slinging it over her slim shoulders and running out of the train. It happens so fast, she comes and goes like the spring breeze. One minutes she's here and the next she's gone, almost like she was never there at all.
Sasuke feels his heart fall from his throat and crash into the pit of his stomach.
How can a strange pink haired girl make him feel this way?
He sighs deeply, with his whole body and runs his fingers through his dark hair.
The sliding doors start to close but he's faster. In one, two, three steps he's out of the subway car and into the outside station.
He half expects to see the girl outside and he doesn't want to admit that he feels a wave of disappointment wash over him when she's nowhere in sight.
She's gone but he can still see her, the soft curves of her feminine physique and the way her eyes moved slowly under her lids as she slept.
Faintly, he can hear his school's morning bell ringing, it carries with the wind, wrapped in the scent of cherry blossoms.
So he walks to school, hands shoved in his pockets, attempting to forget the girl who sleeps and dreams on the subway.
Sasuke is the first one in the classroom, the sun shines through windows, illuminating the sheer curtains and silence hangs in the air.
His seat is closest to the windows, in the far back of the classroom.
He takes his seat, like he does every morning and rests his backpack on the side of his desk.
The classroom door shakes a little and suddenly slides open, "Sasuke!" A rumbling voice slices through the silence. It is a voice filled with electricity, familiar and obnoxious.
Uzumaki Naruto.
There is the sound of stomping and the warmth of his blonde best friend's hand is heavy on his shoulder, "Early as always, you eager bastard."
There is no venom in his words, just friendly teasing and even if Sasuke won't admit it, there's something oddly comforting about it.
Naruto stumbles into the desk next to Sasuke, waving and greeting their classmates as they enter the classroom. It's not long before the class is full of students, the air echoes with their conversation, loud voices and laughter surround him.
The heavy steps of their homeroom teacher, Mr. Hasegawa, interrupt the conversation. He is husky man, with a rounding belly and short dark brown hair.
He slides open the classroom door, holding a stack of folders against his chest, "Take your seats everyone. We've got a new student joining our class today."
Chairs are scraping loudly against the floors and the sound of conversation fades away.
Mr. Hasegawa walks to his desk but Sasuke barely notices him. All he can see is the new student, she is small, looking down at her feet nervously.
And her hair is pink.
She turns and faces the class, tugging at the end of her skirt.
"Introduce yourself." Mr. Hasegawa says.
She tucks her long, soft pink hair behind her ear and gives a polite smile, "Hello everyone, my name is Haruno Sakura. I'm happy to join your class."
She bows then, low and respectful and when she looks up, their eyes meet.
There is shock etched in every feature of her face and Sasuke's heart is caught in his throat again.
tbc
a/n: thank you guys for the positive feedback on the first chapter! as always, reviews are appreciated!
