Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or da lyrics here.
A/N: Second chapter, yeah! This chapter is dedicated to my friend Mr. Tyrone, as well as to all the reviews, who include:
Innocent-hope, neu chi no nai u, Ruriko89, ellamoony, Fiona McKinnon, white-rosekiss, CrAzY-SillY-Me, Chibi Heart, Sharon-chan, daydreamer53221, SKYBLUE1010, Blood ruby, hanyo-girl, saki-kun, and ms-thang! You guys rock!
Chapter One
Songs of a shattered lifetime?
Modern day dramatics
Another contradiction is rising through the conflicts
Nothing lasts forever
Nothing stays the same
We are magnificent material exposed to decay
Onyx eyes flickered open, awakening to the sight of the faded gray ceiling above…Shit…What time was it…Sasuke Uchiha blinked sleepily, cursing faintly under his breath. In the dim darkness of morning, he slung one leg out of bed, flinching at the biting cold. And they said the apartment lease was high to pay for heating expenses, huh?
He wrenched the rest of himself out of bed and glanced at the clock on the wall with squinted eyes. 8: 30. Crap, he was going to be late .He smoothed his wrinkled shirt out-the same shirt he had slept in-and ran his fingers through his dark hair, trying to remember the address Kakashi had recited to him the last night. 1528 Konkani Road….? Or was it 1538 Konkani Road? He didn't recall… He would just look for the biggest house on the street. If the girl's family could afford a bodyguard like Kakashi, they were probably filthy rich.
Downing a cup of bright red tomato juice, taken from the refrigerator, in two swallows, he frowned disdainfully as he grabbed the keys to his motorcycle from the kitchen counter, noticing that dirty dishes were still piled high in the sink. He'd clean them when he came back later. Slamming the door close behind him, he stalked out of the apartment.
It was raining outside, drops of water pelting from the foggy gray sky. Crap… Feeling the water drip from his ink black hair onto his face, the rain already soaking into his shirt, he cussed loudly, not bothering to stifle his words. When Kakashi comes back, I'll kill him for getting me into this, Sasuke thought darkly, inserting his keys into the ignition of his motorcycle, bought second hand from a garage sale, its red paint chipping badly. Wiping the rain from his eyes, he started the engine. Why the hell did I even agree to doing this? Oh yeah…because of that. Well, damn Kakashi…that manipulative jerk. The road was slick with water, and he was careful to avoid the puddles. Any more water on his already drenched shirt and the girl's high up family would start to think he was some pathetic homeless man looking for shelter. He flinched as water from a nearby puddle splashed into his shoes, dousing his socks. Fuck. This job had better get him somewhere.
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The sound of rain woke her. It was the sound of diamonds hitting the ground, the sound of tiny silver needles plummeting against a sheet of still water.
Sakura Haruno yawned groggily, kicking silk bed sheets off, stretching her arms out, the smell of rain in the air. Sitting up from her bed, she glanced towards the window, at the hazed sky, and remembered that she loved the rain.
She padded over to the window, pushing open the pane, feeling the rain hit her hands and face, lips turned into a faint smile.
Still clothed in her slight nightgown of flowing cerulean, she crawled onto the window ledge. Her feet found the thick ivy vines that grew on the exterior wall of the Haruno residence. Silky pastel tresses whipping around her face, Sakura slowly climbed down the length of the vast Haruno manor, sighing in relief when her feet hit wet grass stained with rain.
She lifted her hands up to the clouded sky, and let the rain wash down her pale face, dripping into her hair. It had been a while since the last time she had done this-climbed out of the window to feel the rain.
Sakura flung her arms out, and twirled, drops of rain flying from her fingertips, exhilaration filling every inch of her. Closing her eyes, she turned her face to the sky and felt rain trickle down her nose, enjoying every moment of it. And she stood there, feeling the rain against her skin. She didn't know how long she stood there, water sinking into her clothes, her skin. All she felt was the rain.
Her nightgown now sopping, she climbed back up to the window-a much harder task than climbing down, as she discovered. Sneezing, she pulled herself up the window, to the warmth of her room. She pulled a robe from her wardrobe and hurriedly slipped it on, drying her hair with a towel from the bathroom. She hoped none of the maids had come to her room to wake her while she had been outside. If they had found her gone, she was positive they would have told Otou-san.
There was a knock at the door and before Sakura could answer, the door opened.
"Ohayou, Sakura-san."
It was Kumiko-the maid who had served the Haruno family for over a decade, graying now, no longer at the prime of her life, as she had been when she started her job. Her gray eyes briefly took in Sakura's appearance-the dripping hair, the muddied feet.
"Sakura-san! Your father would not like to hear that you've been sneaking outside again! That is very dangerous! You could have caught a serious cold, or worst, you could have been kidnapped!"
Sakura shrugged, smiling guiltily. "But Kumiko…it hasn't rained in a while…Besides, Otou-san likes the rain too. "
The older woman shook her head disapprovingly, but her eyes were not hard.
"Please do not attempt such a thing again, Sakura-san. You're fifteen. It's time to grow up, Sakura-san. I suppose you haven't really been given the time to think about it, but your father is a very important man in terms of business. One day, you might have to take over his company. You understand, don't you?"
"Hai." Green eyes were downcast, culpable.
"By the way, Sakura-san, your father wanted me to inform you that Kakashi-san will not be here for several days, maybe weeks. But he has found someone to fill in for him, someone who will be keeping watch on you in case of any danger. You'll be meeting him today."
"Kakashi-san isn't coming?" Sakura had been quite used to Kakashi-san, the strange silver-haired man in his late twenties, who had been her bodyguard for over a year now.
"Yes. He's on vacation, I hear. Taking a break. Actually, he only informed us he was taking a leave yesterday. On quite a short notice, I would say.
Your father would like you to meet Kakashi-san's stand-in. Of course, that is, after you've changed out of those wet clothing and into something decent."
"…Hai.." Nodding slightly at Sakura, Kumiko left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
A new bodyguard? Kakashi-san is gone? As she unbuttoned her nightgown, Sakura briefly wondered what kind of person her new bodyguard would be.
Yet something else troubled her more, more than the prospect of meeting Kakashi-san's replacement. …You're fifteen now, Kumiko had said. It's time to grow up, Sakura-san. Time to grow up?
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He had been right when he called them filthy rich. The girl's-Sakura Haruno, was it? – house was easily the biggest on the block-in fact, it was the only house on the block. The house-no, mansion-was huge, and, apparently, quite old. Tendrils of various green vines and leaves had grown along the white walls of the mansion. The gate in front of the house was rusted slightly. Beyond the gate, a short gravel road led to the house. Trees surrounded the house, drops of rain hanging from their bare limbs like beads of crystals.
Parking his motorcycle beneath a tree outside the gate, Sasuke noticed the gate had been left open. Presumably for him. Wringing at the dripping ends of his shirt, he neared the gate, impatient to escape the rain, even if it meant he would have to meet the girl and her money-loaded father once he entered.
But movement from somewhere beyond the gate caught his eye. Squinting, he saw a girl on the lawn, dressed in-was it a nightgown? Pink hair the color of cotton candy floating out behind her, she stood there, the rain falling down on her face. And she had green eyes. The color of spring.
Sasuke frowned. What the hell was the girl doing out there? Was she even supposed to be there? Maybe she had escaped from the asylum. He watched as the girl blinked,came to her senses, and began scaling the mansion's walls, using the vines as a ladder. Soon, she had climbed into an open window and was gone from sight.
Shaking his head, Sasuke pushed the gate open. Maybe it was the cold, or the rain, that was making him see things. Filthy rich people did not climb from windows and stand in the rain. Surely, they would care too much about their brand name clothing to do such a frivolous thing. Ignoring what he had seen, he jogged up the gravel pathway to the house, and rang the doorbell.
There was the faint sound of footsteps and the door opened, a plump, aging woman at the doorway, a stern look on her face.
"Oh, you must be Kakashi-san's substitute. I'm Komiko. I'm in charge of all the servants in the house. Come in. Mr. Haruno-san would like to speak you about your duties."
He followed into the house, gazing at the velvet curtains, the polished wooden floor, the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. The woman led him up a flight of stairs, stopping in front of a room with oaken doors.
"Haruno-san?"
There was a muffled reply from inside the room. "Oh, the bodyguard's here? Bring him in."
Komiko opened the door and Sasuke followed her into the room. Books were scattered around the floor, piled high on the table. Behind a polished desk sat a wiry man with thin-rimmed glasses, scribbling on paper.
The man looked up and straightened.
"Well, hello Mr. Uchiha. So you're to be Sakura's new bodyguard, huh? And yes, I'm her father. Tazuna Haruno. Nice to meet you. Here, sit down. We need to talk properly." He motioned to a chair opposite of him.
Sasuke sat down. Here we go…
"Alright…Let's see…" Tazuna sat back in his chair. "I heard from Kakashi that you're sixteen, is that correct? Quite young for a bodyguard, wouldn't you say?"
He shrugged.
Tazuna continued. "Kakashi said that you're quite talented. Apparently, he's trained you in martial arts, and you also have a limited ability in the use of knives and sword. And, you know how to use guns. Pretty impressive. As you probably know, I'm the owner of a company-Haruno Co. I'll say myself that I do have many enemies out there, that are willing to do anything to cause the collapse of my company. Including harming my daughter, Sakura. She's about your age, now that I think about it.
Your job will be to protect her. Don't let anyone harm her. She is, after all, my most precious family member since the death of my wife. You'll be receiving money for this job, too. So do your job well, and the paycheck will go up. Every morning, you'll be expected to arrive here at approximately 8 o clock in the morning and you'll be allowed to go home at 6 o clock p.m. Basically, just follow Sakura, and make sure she doesn't get harmed. Simple as that."
Sasuke nodded curtly. Follow some girl around for ten hours each day? God, I'm going to die.
"Oh yes, and I wanted to introduce you to Sakura myself." Turning to the open door of the study, Tazuna called out. "Sakura! Come down and meet Mr. Uchiha!"
Sasuke heard footsteps, and frowned. Time to meet some spoiled girl I'll have to follow for the next few weeks…
"This is my daughter, Sakura. Sakura, this is Uchiha-san."
Sasuke looked up and black eyes met green eyes. Pink hair, still slightly damp. Green eyes. Slim figure. It was the girl he had seen on the lawn, standing in the rain. Oh god. Just wonderful. So he was stuck with some mentally insane girl.
He faintly wondered how a mentally unstable person could have eyes that seemed so green.
This job was going to be pure hell.
A/N: First chapter done! Pretty long, don't you think? Feedback appreciated.