Chapter 2

Sakura heard her alarm go off at 6 am on a Saturday, causing her to moan slightly in response as she reached over to turn it off. Laying on her back, she stared up at the white ceiling, the very beginning of sunrise peeking out between her light blue curtains as she took a moment to try to wake herself up. Sho was still sleeping to her right, his back facing her as he faced the door to her closet. Her room was bigger than his, but not by much. It had a single window, which was larger than the one in his own as it was on the far end of their house. Her TV sat on a table in front of that window, which didn't bother her as she never used it. The walls were a pale gray color to contrast the dark gray carpet that was a nice contrast to the linoleum in the kitchen during a cooler morning such as this one.

Planting her feet on the floor, she could already hear the TV in the living room on, which meant her father was already up for the day, which wasn't uncommon in the slightest. Grabbing clothes in her closet, she closed the door to have privacy as she got dressed, thankful that it was a walk-in closet, even if it was a tad bit smaller than she would have preferred. Sakura didn't complain as she had the only walk-in closet in their home. The only reason for that was because the breaker box for the house sat inside, including the light to turn off and on the hot water tank that sat in their kitchen. Walking out to grab her shoes, opting for jeans, tank top to wear underneath her band uniform, and a sweater to put on once they were done competing, she felt complete as she looked in the mirror. Deciding at the last minute to put her hair up in a ponytail, even if it was small as her hair was merely shoulder length, she then felt complete a second time that morning before making her way out the door.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?" Her dad said, his voice stern, which always bothered her.

"Band competition." Sakura responded, glancing over at him as she put her shoes on.

And, like usual, he went back to his TV as though she didn't exist. Shutting the door quietly behind her, though it wouldn't have mattered based on the volume of the TV he was watching, she made her way to her car. Sitting in her car for a moment, allowing the small amount of frost that covered her windshield to defrost, she frowned. Thinking back, she felt as though she had never truly felt happy or that she belonged in a very long time, over ten years if she sat and really dwelled on it. She had joined the band on a whim, and it was the only thing that brought her a sense of calm, along with having a vehicle of her own. It wasn't anything fancy and the color wasn't something she would have picked for herself, but her parents bought it for her, so she couldn't complain. It was a simple dark blue, four door car, brand new, even if it didn't have power windows, she didn't mind it. Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she connected her phone to her car, music came through the speakers to get her in a much better mood. Given the conversation with her parents the night before.

"I have a band competition tomorrow that you two asked me to remind you about." Sakura said over dinner, watching her parents exchange a look and knowing what the answer would be.

"Sakura, we know how much it means to you, but you know how I feel about crowds." Her mother said, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. "We will go to your last game and watch you then."

Her father avoided her gaze, focusing on the TV that Sakura knew meant more to him than his own family most days. The same thing her mom said this evening was the same every time Sakura had hope that they would actually give a damn about her. Yet, she knew that Koji's parents would be there to support the two of them, his parents were like her own in many ways. At least, the kind of parents she wished she had. It was a part of why she found herself focusing specifically on psychology for college as while she had always wanted to be a doctor, to help those in situations like her felt more meaningful. Even with her strong grades, her parents felt she didn't measure up to their idea of the perfect child. As they would tell her, she didn't push herself to be the best. Her mother had been popular, her idea of a perfect life ending after high school and right before she had Sakura at such a young age. Her father had been more the one to get in trouble and be up to things he shouldn't have been. Sakura managed to be herself and somehow came across as a disappointment.

Wiping fresh tears from her eyes, she put her car in reverse, turned the music up slightly louder than she knew was legal and drove herself to school. If she allowed herself to dwell even more, they treated her brother than they did with her, which made things even harder on her. Her mother had always been the one to say that she would treat her children fairly, but that was never the case. Fifteen minutes later, she parked near the band room, seeing a few vehicles had beaten her to school that morning. While she didn't need to come as early, getting out of the house was a highlight she enjoyed. Walking her way inside, she made her way to the director's office, accessing his computer to gain access to the website, as if it was a magnet that drew her. Karin seemed to be pestering her once again, but she ignored it and instead noticed a new message from her new friend. Smiling, she clicked on the link and read the message.

She immediately responded, waving as people walked by the small office, which had windows wrapping around it, which didn't bother her any. A moment later as she hit send, Koji came in, handing her a hot chocolate, which she thanked him as she took a sip. The hot, rich liquid ran down her throat and gave her something to focus on as it was slightly a bit too hot to drink, but Sakura didn't mind. Koji leaned over, his brown eyes scanning the messages between her and 'Kashi', giving her a slight grin as he did so. Sakura rolled her eyes but felt a slight blush on her cheeks at being observed in such a fashion.

"A man trying to get to know you. I wonder if he's seen your photo." Koji laughed, more so when Sakura poked his side.

"I doubt it. I met him through a friend that I'm pretty sure isn't pleased that we are chatting. She says they are dating." Sakura said, leaning back in the chair and taking another drink.

"How in the hell do you manage to find yourself wrapped up in drama on a website?" Koji asked, shaking his head with a huff.

"It's a talent." Sakura said, giggling to herself before standing from the chair and going to the closet to grab her uniform. "I don't even know what he looks like."

"The moment you do, you better show me. I might steal him away from you."

"Nothing to steal when he isn't mine." Sakura said, pulling the purple pants up over her jeans before she began to fasten them.

"What man would reach out to someone he doesn't know like that?"

"He's probably bored."

"What 18-year-old isn't, Sakura?"

"Okay, I'm going to stop asking you to hang out if all you're going to do is have a constant resting bitch face." Suigetsu said, leaning back in a chair in the middle of the mall food court. "Is Itachi giving you shit again?"

"Since when has my face bothered you that much?" Sasuke said, tapping a finger unconsciously against the white table, watching a group of girls walk by and giggle in his direction. "It doesn't seem to bother anyone else."

"Your face could never bother me, Sasuke."

Suigetsu groaned, "Karin, I told you this was a boys outing. Why do you insist on being a bother?"

"I can hang out with my friends if I want to." She sneered, moving a chair closer to Sasuke before sitting down, glaring at another group of girls who walked by and eyed Sasuke.

Karin pulled out her phone, looking through social media and a few contacts before landing on a name on her caller ID and then dialing. She waited a moment, frowned as it was apparent that the person she called didn't answer. He heard what sounded like someone stomping their foot before Karin called again, whispering to herself before her face lit up.

"Sakura! Why didn't you answer the first time I called?" Karin asked, sounding huffy and put out.

Sasuke raised a brow, hearing that name instantly catching his attention. Though he couldn't hear the woman on the other end, he watched Karin as she let out a breath, waving her hand as though Sakura could see her statement was being waved off as unimportant. It was something that bothered him about Karin, she felt her own personal time was most important. And part of why they only lasted a week when he dated her. Sasuke would work on the weekends at his family's business, helping to catch up on paperwork, thus some weekends he'd be unavailable. And there were times he would need to sit in on important meetings after school, which he had told Karin about, but that didn't seem to matter. She would blow up his phone, leave messages talking horribly about herself and how she didn't matter to him, then apologizing five messages later. What pushed him over the edge was she had come to his work on a Saturday, barging in and interrupting a meeting to yell at him about how he needed to answer his phone because she wanted to hang out. While the meeting was purely between him and his brother, Itachi had given him shit for weeks after that. Sasuke pulled her into the hallway to end things, telling her that she was too needy for him.

"Want to talk to Kashi?" Karin asked, Suigetsu giving him an odd look before shrugging.

Sasuke held up a hand in response, not desiring to talk to a woman he just met online. It was weird and unnecessary, but it seemed that Sakura had declined as well, Karin grinning and looking over at him. "Yeah, we are out at the mall together! Can you believe it? Well, I have to go. Bye!"

"Call her up just to rush her off the phone?" Suigetsu snorted, rolling his eyes.

"She was at some band competition or whatever. I don't care." Karin said, waving his statement off before turning back to her phone. "And she didn't want to talk to you either. I thought you two were closer than that."

Sasuke looked away from her and realized what she had been doing and frowned at the idea. Karin had been testing Sakura and Sasuke to see if anything was formed between them. Karin was satisfied, which confirmed his suspicions. Though, he took note that this girl named Sakura was in a band and based on the time of the year, that meant marching band. Making a mental note to ask her about it later on, he ignored Karin, but pushed her away when she tried to latch onto his arm the moment more girls walked by. One took this as a hint and came up to their table, trying to talk to him, which he ignored until she left with a huff. Deciding he was done, he grabbed his leather jacket off the back of the chair, pulling it on over his black shirt. Karin stood up, looking frantic as he walked away.

"Sasuke, where are you going?" She called out, following him. "I thought we were going to spend time together."

"No."

"Sasuke!" Karin whined, causing him to pause and turn around, glaring at her.

"Karin, you are not my girlfriend and I've let you continue your charade long enough. We are friends and nothing more. I owe you nothing. I made it clear when you barged in while I was working earlier this year that we were over, and I meant it. I remained friends because that was what you asked of me and I don't mind your friendship, but I'm telling you to stop pretending we are a couple."

"Is it Sakura?" Karin asked, hands on her hips.

"A girl I've never met. Someone who lives several hundred miles away. That I've never even talked to over the phone or even through text message? You think that she's the reason I won't consider you as anything more than a friend?"

"Sasuke, you were not like this until you talked to her."

"A few days ago, Karin. A few days ago, I reached out to her. This isn't something out of the blue. You know what…" Sasuke snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You obviously are only going to hear what you want. Think what you want, I don't care. I'm leaving."

He felt her eyes on him and knew that even if he had argued, she would have blamed Sakura for what Karin considered to be a 'sudden outburst', but he didn't feel the need to care at this point. The fact that Sakura was somehow a threat amused him, but he would think about that a different day. He needed to take a break from this website and so he decided to give himself a few weeks to back off. He didn't owe anyone anything and at times he felt like it was a waste of his time given that he didn't care for social media. It was thanks to a few friends that he was even on it, giving into temptation out of boredom. Sighing, he slid himself into the driver seat of his car, gripping the steering wheel with slight anxiety, something that being around Karin managed to do to him every time.

Before he could put his car into drive, his phone went off, a message flashing from Hana Inuzuka, who had transferred from Konoha to a college nearby. His friends had met her during an outing, the woman taking an instant liking to Sasuke, which he didn't mind. Reading the text, he skimmed the novel to take notice she was asking him to see a movie with her that evening. Responding to confirm the plans for that evening, he then made his way home, stating to his mom that he would be out that evening the moment he walked into his house. The vaulted ceilings made the house much brighter, which was what Mikoto Uchiha preferred, as she sat on a chair that she took up when resting.

"So, you won't be eating dinner with us?" Mikoto asked, looking at him curiously.

"No, I'll be skipping this evening." Sasuke responded, making his way toward the hallway to the right of the living room, entering the first door on the left and closing it behind him. Setting his jacket on his bed, knowing he'd be wearing it later, he flopped on his bed, staring up at the high ceiling in his own room. The window on the opposite side of his bed was tall with an intricate detail toward the top, which provided a lot of light as it faced the main road that led to their driveway. Hana was someone he would fool around with on occasion, one of the few who understood that they would not have intercourse. Sasuke knew how crazy women could be and so he was careful to keep that off the table with anyone he hooked up with, for his own peace of mind.

As the time drew near, he left his room to see that his father, Fugaku Uchiha, along with Itachi had joined his mother. Ignoring his brother asking where he was going, he left and got in his car, making his way to the theater to meet up with Hana. As he made his way there, he thought back to Sakura and frowned, unamused that he would think of someone he honestly didn't know. He wouldn't deny that he wondered what she looked like, that part of him curious to what she did sound like had almost offered to talk to her. However, recalling that she denied the chance to talk to him, he snorted, turning up the volume to the music playing through his speakers. Sakura didn't have any idea who he was, but something told him that Karin had probably shared a bit more than he would care to think about, so drowning out his own thoughts, he continued on his trip to meet up with Hana.

A while later, the movie played, something that she picked out that definitely wasn't on his list of things to watch. However, they were not there to actually enjoy the movie the moment she leaned over and their lips met hungrily, her hand moving to delve into his hair, which he had recently started growing out. Some of his hair had started to cover his left eye, the back trying to reach toward his chin while the back managed to showcase how untamable it was as it did so. So, feeling Hana's hand run through the strands, bringing him closer. Their lips parted, their breaths coming out in pants as she continued on her trek, her hands now delving underneath his clothes. Soon, the movie was soon forgotten, Sasuke enjoying the thrill of potentially getting caught as tossed his head back and gripped a handful of brown hair.

Three weeks later

Sakura panted, bending down to grab onto her thighs as she attempted to catch her breath after having run for a solid mile. Her breath was coming out as a mist thanks to the bitter morning. Removing her headphones from around her ears and moving them down to settle around her neck, she grabbed her water bottle and took a drink. She knew that being in band alone wouldn't have kept her in shape, which made her frown before she continued on her way back home, wishing she could stay out longer. Since their school had denied them the chance to participate in the state competition that they had been invited to after the last competition, she focused on the end of her high school year. She had been invited to attend school on a marching band scholarship, which she had been debating on whether to join or to focus solely on her studies. Knowing she had time, she had set the idea aside for now, focusing on the scenery around her.

Karin had been blowing up her phone as 'Kashi' had taken a long absence from the site, which Sakura found she felt a little disappointed. Karin said it was temporary, but that he had no desire or any real friends to keep him active, which had felt like a stab at her. Her home came into view, and she suddenly had no desire to return, but knowing she needed to, slowly made her way back, choosing to walk this time. As she entered, her father glared at her, which she ignored as she went to her room, closing the door behind her. While he had been calming with age, there was still a sense of dislike toward her, which she never understood. Ignoring it, she grabbed clothes and went to take a shower, staying under water that she knew would cause her skin to be pink when she got out. Hell water was what her best friend said, as he never understood her love of cold weather, but desire to be under scorching water.

Getting out and drying off, she got dressed and went back to hide out in her room, turning on music and getting back on her computer. Instantly accessing the website, she saw a new message and realized it was from 'Kashi', which surprised her. She read it, feeling uncertain as she had not planned to reach out first with his absence, but that seemed too not even be necessary. Leaning back, she debated on how best to respond, as his message was short and simple. So, she responded in kind and went on about her business only to get a new message a moment later, which meant he was actively online.

Looks like we are online at the same time. I hope you've been well.

Sakura smirked, responding instantly and then going on about her business and responding to a few chat threads, seeing a few of her other friends online as well. And for a few hours, she and 'Kashi' exchanged a few messages before he went offline, leaving her to wonder if he would be away again, which told her that due to the holiday season, that would be the case. Sighing, she continued to chat elsewhere, many of her friends' making jokes that caused her to chuckle, but her mind kept going back to the mysterious man who seemed so close, yet so far out of reach.

Four months later

As the months went by, the communication she had with 'Kashi' became more and more limited, but she didn't think much of it, realizing she would forget him until he came around again, and then for a while he was all she'd think about. One day, that changed when Karin mentioned to her that he had posted a photo of himself on his social media and wanted to share it. Sakura immediately turned the idea down, stating that she felt he would want his privacy, which went unheard. So, here Sakura was, viewing a photo of a man and instantly the attraction she felt toward him grew intensely. Dark eyes and hair clashed against pale skin, yet his face looked to have been carved from marble. He was utter perfection. A straight nose that was the perfect size for his face shape, which came with a sharp jaw and very full lips. He looked to have thick lashes that fanned out to make his eyes appear darker. He wasn't smiling much, merely a smirk, but Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach instantly.

It was March now, a few months before graduation and after commenting on how she understood why Karin liked him, she went on to chat elsewhere and then a message popped up from him. Instantly due to the attraction, she felt as though she ran in a cyber sense, reading his message and responding. Like before, he apologized for being gone, this time for over a month, but Sakura never did mind. This time, something was different as his next message caused her eyes to widen and her palms to turn sweaty.

I may regret this, but as I'm not really active here and I promised you my friendship, how would you feel about texting? If you want to, here is my number - xxx-xxx-xxxx

Sakura grabbed her phone, sending a text back to confirm that she was okay with it, which made her squeal with excitement. At that moment, Karin shared her to a thread she made, posting pictures of herself that threw Sakura off. She looked them over, seeing that the woman had deep red hair, glasses, and was stunning. It made sense why 'Kashi' would date her, then she noticed Karin asking others to do the same. A few of their mutual friends shared their photos, so Sakura looked around. Finding a spot, it so happened to showcase a poster of a movie she enjoyed. Taking the photo, she was pleased with how it came out and shared it with the group. And as she did, then she noticed that 'Kashi' was also a part of this chat and Sakura felt her face heat up. A moment later, her phone vibrated, and her stomach fell, tears prickling against her eyes.

Kashi: Nice Shrek poster. :)

Whereas in the thread, he made a comment about how Karin's pics were nice. While not about her looks, it was still better than a comment about something in the background. Sending a quick "thank you", she logged off and tossed her phone on her bed, frowning at the exchange. Sighing, she decided to pick up a book focusing on that as Karin's text to her pissed her off even more.

Karin: I know he's starting to see someone, but I saw that he only commented on my looks and no one else!

Sasuke found out Karin had shared his photo and was unamused, but nothing he could do about it now other than scold her the next time he saw her. However, Sakura posted her photo, and everything stopped at that moment. Hana was becoming serious with him, which he didn't mind as she gave him space, but instantly Sakura caught his attention. From her hair to her beautiful green eyes, everything about her was perfect. Deciding that it would be inappropriate to tell her that her lips looked rather kissable, he focused on something in the background. Her response was generic and rushed, which told him she had hoped for more. Raising a brow, he had a feeling that she had hoped to catch his attention. He just couldn't admit them, not yet anyways.

Cursing to himself, he sent her a text that he hoped would help to appease her more than his comment did. Typing it out, he hit send before he could take it back, pausing to look up at her photo once again. Smirking, he closed out of the site and decided to venture out of his room for once and spend time with family. Checking his phone and noting that he didn't receive a response, he chose to give her space and set his phone on his bed, going into the living room. Within moments he regretted it as Itachi began to tease him, including poking his forehead.

Sasuke: I suppose I can trust you enough to share this. My name isn't Kashi, it's Sasuke.