Going Through the Motions
Taken place in Konoha University, a conjoined university and high school campus.
Plotline: A group of high school transfer students go through the motions of starting a new school and fitting in. AU. Saku/Gaa and Hina/Naru, among others.
A/N: I'd like to thank randomsome1 for beta-ing. Thank you, my dear! It truly is appreciated! Oh, and about Man Within the Monster; I kind of hit a road block, but you can count on me. I'll update, probably during Christmas break. But while you're waiting for it, read this! Enjoy.
Chapter One: Something Unpredictable
The normal everyday routine had begun to be a chore. Perhaps that was why she was here. Perhaps that was why she had agreed to this. Seeing the same insufferable people everyday had begun to grate on her nerves. They always assumed that they knew her, always noted her for her predictability.
And so, in spite of them, she did something unpredictable.
She left.
They always thought her to be one who loathed change, one who clung to what she was familiar with in order to feel confident, in order to feel secure. They thought that by knowing her for a little more than two years that they could read her so easily; that they could discern what she would do next.
Sakura did have some help, of course. The newly renovated Konoha University was not only a university now, but also a high school. The university and the high school intersected in certain parts of the building, mainly a few hallways, and also a suspended bridge that served as a pedestrian arch that led from the high school mess hall into the university's gymnasium, and vice versa. The university campus was situated within four quadrants. Three buildings belonged to the university, while the newly erected building belonged to the high school, which was interconnected with the pedestrian arch into the university's recreational center.
Since Konoha University was renowned for its intelligent students, they of course wanted to maintain that reputation, even within the newly erected high school, which they proudly named the Konoha Academy. They had sent out letters all over the continent and even further, requesting that high schools as well as colleges and universities send their most brightest students to Konoha as transfer students for two consecutive terms. And of course, being one of the brightest students in Konoha High School, Sakura was invited. Seeing that it would look good on her transcript and give her a higher probability of getting into better colleges, Sakura could not decline.
Sakura looked up at the six-story building that was to be her high school for the next two years, clutching her binder tightly to her chest. It seemed to loom overhead, its shadow stretching over her condescendingly, the fact that it blocked out the sun from where Sakura stood made the building seem ominous.
An amused chuckle made Sakura tear her eyes away.
"You're looking at the building as if it's going to swallow you whole, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, as he clasped his hands behind head in his usual laidback manner.
The pink haired girl wrinkled her nose. In truth, she didn't know why Naruto had been enrolled. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but all she knew was that their homeroom teacher Iruka-sensei favored him, and he thought that it would be best if he was placed within the academy amongst the other selected students.
The students that had been selected from Konoha High School to attend Konoha Academy were none other than Haruno Sakura herself, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, Yamanko Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, and Hyuuga Hinata. Of course, Shikamaru had immediately objected to the invitation, finding the whole process of entering a new school and starting over to be quite troublesome.
Sakura broke into a smile when she saw Sasuke approaching, his steps slow and seemingly measured as he made his way up the cement stairs, his hands stuffed in his pockets, a look of indifference set in his features. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke merely grunted in reply. He glanced at the building in what could have been interest. His facial features remained impassive, aloof, as always.
"It's big, isn't it?" Sakura observed as she followed his gaze to the building. In her peripheral vision, she saw a red haired boy walking hastily towards the building, but she paid him no mind.
That is, until he shoved past her in his stride, nearly toppling her over and sending her binder flying.
"Watch it," they both growled at one another in unison with twin glares. Sakura's eyes widened he failed to apologize for knocking into her.
"Hey!" she yelled. She made a move to step forward, intent on following him. "Come back here and apologize to me, you ass—" Abruptly, a hand clutched her arm, and another covered her mouth.
"Hey, stop that," the blonde girl to her side hissed, carefully withdrawing her hand from Sakura's mouth.
Sakura glanced at her before looking back at Naruto and Sasuke, who were staring uncomprehendingly at the red haired boy's retreating back.
"Look, we're sorry," the heavyset boy clutching her arm muttered.
"Sorry?" Sakura demanded. "Why can't he apologize for himself?"
"It's a long and tiresome story," the girl muttered as they both pulled away. "Just… Don't try to confront him, okay?"
Sakura frowned as the pair walked past her, walking in the direction of the building.
"What was that about?" Naruto muttered, puzzled.
Sakura continued to stare in their direction. That was what she wanted to know.
--
Sakura drummed her fingers on her desk indolently, occasionally looking up at the clock before returning her gaze to the teacher, Hatake Kakashi-sensei, as he continually paced in front of his desk, blathering on about Konoha's history in the same droning manner he had adopted forty minutes ago. She sighed softly, her eyes idly scanning the room. It was finally last period. The day had seemed to drag, each forty-five minute period seeming like an eternity.
None of her former classmates had the same classes as she, with the exception of two separate lunch periods. On Tuesdays, she had fifth period lunch with Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Lee, and on Thursdays, she had fourth period lunch with Ino and Neji. Her schedule consisted of eight forty-five minute periods, excluding lunch, which was only a half hour.
She supposed that her schedule was pretty decent, except for the fact that the red haired boy that had inadvertently run into her that morning appeared to be in all of her classes. He seemed to be as calm and cool as Sasuke was, except Sasuke was probably more refined. She had considered confronting him about that, until she remembered what that blonde haired girl had said.
"Just… Don't try to confront him, okay?"
What she had said made her feel all the more curious, but not enough to try to speak to him. He had already proved his all-around indifference when their Literature teacher had called on him to introduce himself, and all attempted conversations initiated by fellow classmates were left hanging by what seemed to be his trademark expression of impassiveness.
By the end of the day, no one had attempted to confront him again. Gaara seemed satisfied with this.
Not if Sakura could help it.
As soon as the bell rang and the principal had gone on the intercom to dismiss the student body, Gaara made a retreat for the door.
Sakura nearly leapt from her seat, darting out the door and stepping in front of him. She always remembered how she had never been one to confront, but perhaps that was why she had missed out on so many good opportunities in her old high school. "You seem rather hasty," she said conversationally.
He looked at her blankly. "You're in my way," he deadpanned.
She sneered. "Why don't you just push past me like you did last time?"
Her mouth gaped open when he did just that.
Sakura gritted her teeth, turning around to glare at his back. "You're an asshole."
He turned around to look at her, though briefly. "You're annoying. Some things can't be helped." And with that, he turned around, continuing his retreat.
"Hm."
Sakura turned her head to the left to see the same blonde haired girl from that morning. "What?" she snapped.
"That's probably the most he's said all week," she chuckled. "I apologize for not introducing myself before. I'm Temari."
"Sakura," she replied. She looked at her curiously. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."
"Foreign exchange student," Temari replied with a shrug. "I'm from Suna."
"Oh, you're not too far off," Sakura commented as they began to walk down the quickly emptying hall. "If you want, I could show you around. Konoha isn't all that exciting, though. It's a relatively peaceful place." She glanced at her. "Where are you staying?"
"At a flat with my brothers. It's not that far off from the academy." she replied. "We were going to have a guardian from Konoha look after us, but they told us at the registration building that Kankuro – the guy who was with me this morning - is old enough to be our legal guardian."
"That probably saved you the awkwardness," Sakura remarked.
"Yeah," she chuckled.
"And who's your other brother?"
Temari smiled grimly. "The one you called an asshole just a moment ago."
The pink haired girl blanched, her eyes widening comically. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled sheepishly under her breath.
"Oh, no need to apologize," Temari snorted with a small wave of her hand. "He's always been like that."
Sakura wondered about him, but she knew that it wasn't her place to ask.
--
Naruto cringed as he slowly exited the classroom. The paper in his hand seemed to mock him with its red markings, pointing out all of his mistakes, a large, bold '42' superimposed on the right hand corner of the page. He gritted his teeth angrily, crumpling the paper into a ball before tossing it behind him.
Sasuke caught it before it could make impact with his forehead. He glared at the back of Naruto's bowed head before he shook the paper out of its balled shape, internally wincing at the grade the blonde had received.
"Hey, idiot," he said calmly, coolly.
Naruto wheeled around, his face reddened with anger. "What do you want, you bastard?" He blinked when the black haired boy showed him the test that he had just crumpled up a moment before. He tensed, preparing himself for the oncoming insults. When none came, a puzzled look set into his features.
"How much do you want to get by in this school, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, making sure he sounded as detached and cool as possible. He watched as the blonde's facial expression changed from angry to remorseful, his brow furrowing in frustration.
Naruto remembered Iruka-sensei, remembered him patiently explaining equations he had gotten wrong on a particular test, while he had listened on with halfhearted ears. Even though he acted like an idiot all the time, and all his efforts in his classes appeared to be minimal, Iruka-sensei always held some hope for him.
That was why he had enrolled the blonde into this academy, after all.
Naruto gently took the paper from Sasuke's grasp, looking bitterly at the red scrawls. "A lot," he said softly, running his hand feebly through his blonde locks.
Sasuke looked off in another direction as he began to speak. "This school is strict."
Naruto eyed the dark haired boy with a slow nod. The earlier actions of Morino Ibiki, their Algebra II teacher, emphasized Sasuke's statement. That man is a sadist, giving us a test on our first day here, he thought with a grimace.
Sasuke chanced a quick glance in the blonde's direction. "When you finally decide to stop acting like such an idiot, ask me for help." And with that, he turned on his heel and left, without so much as a goodbye or a backward glance.
Naruto glanced from the crumpled paper to Sasuke's retreating back, a resolute expression set in his features.
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