Life as I Know It by miyazawa kano.
I got a few more ideas and decided to go on with the story. Um, yay? Haha, actually, I just wanted to keep writing something... ANYTHING. I seriously need the practice. So yeeeeah. Just so you know, the chapters I write are probably always going to be short. It's because I get bored easily, LOL. I'm sorry! It's, ah, an Arien thing. I swear it is!
UPDATE (24/05/04): Repost! Fixing things. Sorry it took so long!
'…' = What's going on inside Sakura's head.
"…" = Your basic, normal, everyday chatter.
[ … ] = The mildly insane ramblings of the lovable Inner Sakura.
(…) = Random notes left by the authoress.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. Honest.
Chapter II: The Best Day of the Week
The commuter train lurched silently forwards as it slowly decelerated to a complete stop. Sakura began to feel excruciatingly suffocated as a new crowd of on-the-go passengers emerged from behind the train's automatic doors and crowded into the small car.
'I hate commuting to school,' Sakura thought irately as the doors slid shut and the train began to pick up speed once more. 'I really, really do.'
The car rocked to and fro with each subtle turn of the commuter. Sakura found herself indecently sandwiched between another schoolgirl about her age and a rather stately-looking businessman who, in her opinion, seemed to appear oddly misplaced. Out of pure habit, Sakura used her free hand to tightly grip one of the looped handles hanging from the ceiling rails. The train car was so jam-packed that she wasn't even sure if it were possible to trip or stumble; the worst one could was lose their balance and lean impolitely on the person standing behind them before regaining their poise.
In this case, it would have been the stately-looking businessman.
'What's a distinguished guy like him doing, riding a commuter train to work?' Sakura wondered absently. 'Couldn't he just afford–…'
A hand leisurely crept up the back of her thigh and comfortably planted itself on her rear-end.
Sakura's eyes widened, allowing her to clearly express a mixture of both shock and repugnance. 'CH-CH… CHIKAN! AHHHH!' (Chikan is basically a derogatory Japanese term used to describe dirty old men who like to grope unsuspecting female commuters.)
Sakura rounded furiously on the offending groper, embarrassed for having been forced to undergo such vulgar treatment, and found herself staring straight into the face of the aforementioned businessman. Smoldering, she heatedly shot the flustered chikan the best death-glare she could muster.
"And just WHAT," Sakura hissed, "do you think you're doing?! PERVERT! [YOU DIE NOW.]"
She'd caught him red-handed. Some commuters began to stare rather curiously, whispering silently among themselves. Others, most notably the female passengers, backed away from the businessman, eyeing him warily. The chikan began to unconsciously tug at his shirt collar; a thin sheen of sweat could be seen on his forehead as he uncomfortably shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I don't understand," he mumbled nervously.
"[OH, PLEASE. There's no denying it now, you dirty old man!] OI, MINNA-SAN! THIS GUY JUST TOUCHED MY BUTT!"
The crowd backed away conspicuously.
"THAT'S N-NOT TRUE! Who would want to touch an undeveloped little girl like you?!"
"HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING UNDEVELOPED?! I'll have you know that I'm already THIRTEEN."
"You little teeny-boppers are always trying to attract attention to yourselves! Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Um, EXCUSE YOU?! Stop trying to deny it, you perv! Why else would a guy like you be riding a commuter train to work? Uh, hmm… DUH, TO FEEL UP SCHOOLGIRLS, that's what!"
The other passengers watched with amusement as the two continued their exchange of insults and comebacks. Sakura, so immersed in the heat of battle, failed to notice the small, feeble figure approaching her, silently working its way through the swarm of commuters. Suddenly, Sakura felt someone tug delicately at the sleeve of her blazer.
"A-ano, Sakura-san…?"
Having heard her name spoken, Sakura turned away from the frazzled chikan to face the young girl standing beside her. "Ah, Hinata-san! Sorry, I didn't see you there…"
"Oh, no, that's okay… I-I just wanted to remind you that this is our stop…" her classmate stuttered quietly.
Sakura blinked, realizing she hadn't even noticed that the train had come to a full stop. As if on queue, the car's automatic doors slid open, followed shortly by the usual gusting whoosh. Smiling weakly, Sakura mutely followed Hinata out onto the station platform.
She spared the perverted businessman, who was looking rather relieved to see her go, a last glance and threateningly pointed a vengeful finger at him.
"If I ever see you riding this train again, you are SO busted. [DAMN STRAIGHT.]"
The doors slid shut and the train sped away. Sakura turned to look for Hinata, and was a little more than surprised to find her classmate staring straight back at her, eyes filled with admiration.
"Um… Is there something wrong?" Sakura said uncomfortably, finding it a little hard to speak with Hinata gazing at her so forcefully.
"Th-the way you stood up to that guy," Hinata fumbled, looking for the right words, "… That was so great!"
"Oh, that. It was nothing; I'm sure anyone else would've done the same thing," Sakura replied, starting to feel a little embarrassed.
"N-no. Not everyone… That same guy… He was, ah, bothering me on the same train last week… But I was too afraid to say anything to him…" Hinata's eyes were cast downwards.
"Ahh! Hinata-san, that's just wrong! He has absolutely NO right to touch you like that, okay? You've just got to say no! Doing nothing will only encourage creeps like him."
"I-I know! I'm trying… I'm really trying, but it's hard for me to… um…"
"Hey, listen. Why don't we start taking the train together or something? That way we could look out for each other. How's that?"
"H-hontou desu ka? Thank you so much, Sakura-san!"
"No problem."
"I hope that I'll be able to be more like you someday…"
Sakura gave Hinata a supportive smile. She'd never really thought of herself as role-model material before. Well, sure, she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or for her friends. But she definitely was not the sort of person people would look up to or aspire to be… Was she? Sakura daintily tucked some of her hair behind her ears.
'I guess you learn something new everyday, huh?' Sakura thought, smiling secretively.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sakura collapsed heavily into her seat, breathing hard. She unceremoniously brushed the sweat from her furrowed brow; Hinata and her had just barely gotten to their respective classes on time. Unbeknownst to them, a brand new construction site had been set up over the weekend, barring the two girls from their usual route to Konoha. They'd been forced to take a rather lengthy detour, costing them a precious fifteen minutes. By the time Sakura and Hinata had reached the second last block from their school, they'd broken into an all-out run.
Suddenly forgetting her previous misfortune, Sakura automatically began to scan the room. Her eyes darted left and right, desperately seeking him out. Dark hair, soulful eyes, perfect face, and that GODLY body of his... Where was he?
"Actually, Sasuke-kun's not here yet."
Ino giggled girlishly as she took her usual seat, next to Sakura's. Yamanaka Ino and Sakura had been best friends for as long as either of them could remember; the two of them were virtually inseparable. They fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle… Ino's unsullied composure could make up for Sakura's impulsiveness, while Sakura's head for strategy complimented Ino's ambitious drive. Nothing would ever tear them apart, Sakura had thought resolutely.
"Who said I was looking for Sasuke-kun?" she replied distractedly, a pinkish hue beginning to colour her fair complexion, "I was just... ah, looking to see if Iruka-sensei was already here!"
The corners of Ino's lips curled upward and took on a rather devious smirk. "Oh, please. It's SO obvious. Come on, Sakura-chan, I know you better than that. Don't think you can hide it from me!"
"Hehe."
Okay, so it was true. The first thing Sakura did when she came to class was look for Sasuke. It had become something of a routine, really. Well, it made sense: she'd been hung up on Sasuke since the time she'd first laid eyes on him. He was so perfect. No, for real. He was LITERALLY perfect. Their school's brightest student, most valued athlete, the class rep, you name it. Not to mention the fact that he was also the dream-guy of nearly every teenage girl attending Konoha Middle School. ["His picture is pasted in the dictionary next to the word ULTIMATE HOTNESS... or, er, something like that. Um, is ULTIMATE HOTNESS a word?"] And as much as Sakura longed for him, she was able to satisfy herself by adoring him from afar. What else was there for her to do? After all, he was Uchiha Sasuke. He was untouchable.
"Really, Sakura. How many years have you been after that same guy? If you never plan on telling him how you feel, maybe you should just move on with your life," Ino said matter-of-factly, deftly twirling her favourite pink pen between her delicate fingers
Sakura blushed again. "You know, sometimes I really wish I could… But it just doesn't work that way! I bet I could try talking myself out of loving him all night, and I'd just wake up the next day feeling exactly the same way I did before. Um, you know what I mean…?"
"Jeez, Sakura, you've got it bad," Ino sighed exasperatedly. "Hey, what about that guy… Um, what's his name again... Naruto? Yeah, Naruto. You've practically got him wrapped around your little finger. He's so totally in love with you."
"Oh, spare me, would you? That kid is NOT in love with me!"
Okay, maybe that wasn't so true. Sakura was well aware of Uzumaki Naruto's feelings for her. More than aware… Frankly, if Naruto had suddenly promulgated to her his undying love, whilst seizing Sakura into a passionate embrace, it wouldn't have made his affections for her any less clear. Sakura had thought it a tad flattering at first. She'd caught him glancing in her direction more than once, his eyes transmitting a yearning hope. It was a little unnerving, but nothing she couldn't handle. But soon after, Naruto began to lay in wait, "bumping" into Sakura every time she rounded a corner or walked out of a classroom. ["Little bugger must've memorized my timetable, or something."] He would then proceed to goad her into awkward conversations about the weather, or about that great goal he'd scored during PE. Sakura had since learned to lay low. Uzumaki's little "crush" had gone from being tolerable to being downright creepy. It made Sakura feel as though she were some choice morsel that Naruto was preparing to pounce on.
Once Sakura had even caught Naruto following her home, like some sort of stray dog. She'd really put her foot down that day; enough was enough! The intense confrontation that followed went a little something like this:
"Quit following me! What are you, some kind of stalker?!"
"Huh? Are you talking to me?"
"Yes, YOU. I'm looking straight at you, aren't I?"
"Well, yeah. But I'm not following you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Okay, if you're not following me home, then where are you going? I've never seen you around here before."
"… Ahh… umm… I'm going to, uh, Ichiraku Ramen… Yeah!"
"Ichiraku is in the opposite direction from here, genius."
"Oh yeah…"
"…"
"Well, I guess I'd better be going then. Thanks for your help, Sakura-chan."
"[UM, WHAT?] … Whatever. If I ever catch you following me again, I'll pound your ass into the ground, you dig?!"
"… Did anyone ever tell you that you look sort of cute when you're angry?"
"[EXPLETIVE, EXPLETIVE, EXPLETIVE.] JUST GO HOME."
Annoying little cretin.
"Look, Sakura-chan," Ino whispered suddenly, gently nodding her head in the direction of the classroom door.
Unwelcome memories of Uzumaki soon lay forgotten. Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as Sasuke stepped into the classroom. His perfect hair seemed to glisten healthily under the fluorescent lighting as he swiveled his head, searching. He quickly sat at his desk, exactly five empty seats (their owners were to be found on the other side of the room, with their buddies, prattling on about the weekend) down from Sakura. Shamelessly, she made sure there was no time wasted in using the opportunity to discretely admire his well-developed physique.
Suddenly, Sasuke turned, casting his dark-eyed gaze on her. Sakura's stomach was immediately swarmed by a legion of butterflies. Had he caught her gawking at him? Her mind began to race with the possibilities.
'Why is he looking this way?' Sakura thought nervously. 'Is he going to talk to me? Maybe he's not really looking at me. Maybe he's just looking in this general direction. Yes, that would explain it. Hey, has his jaw line always been that perfect? How could I not have noticed his jaw line before? Okay, I need to stop thinking. Just stop thinking.'
"Oi, Sakura-san…" came his deep, resonating voice.
Teetering on the brink, just about ready to faint. "Yes?" Sakura squeaked.
"Is Iruka-sensei here yet?" Sasuke asked, casually brushing the hair from his eyes.
"Uh... n-n-no... He's not here y-yet…"
"Oh, okay. Domo." He turned back again, facing the front of the class.
He knew her name. Which, in turn, meant that he knew that she existed. In a room swelling with about thirty or so other students, Sasuke had picked her out. He'd noticed her... No, he'd chosen her. ["And he also has a perfect jaw line."] Instead of asking any one of those other thirty students, he'd chosen Haruno Sakura.
Monday was now officially the best day of the week. ["Or at least the best day of THIS week, anyway."]
End of Chapter II; to be continued.
Again, sorry about any OOC-ness. I'm really trying to keep the characters true to the original story, but I need to embellish a few things here and there for the sake of what little plot there is right now. Please R&R!