High School

By: Asagi Tsuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter Two

The sun was shining full force on the school building, making some students who are unfortunate enough block the sunlight with a textbook so they could write on their notebook, or vice versa. It was only several minutes after the end of the lunch break, which was at one o'clock, yet the sun was so high up.

Sakura wasn't an exception. She was unfortunate enough to sit near the window, and she had to bring up her physics textbook to block the sunlight before she could take notes in peace. Problem is, her hand is starting to become weary after holding it up for approximately fifteen minutes.

She glared at her notebook instead of the sun, because she knew it would hurt her eyes, and she wasn't dumb enough to do something that she knew would hurt her. She looked over to her twin brother, and mouthed the question whether she could borrow her notes later or not. Neji nodded his head in agreement, and she placed her pen down beside her notebook and stared at the blackboard instead.

Occasionally, she'd be turning around to stare at the blond boy who had talked to her first thing this morning when she sensed him staring at her, but when she stared back, he'd avert his gaze somewhere else, as if he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Was she that disgusting?

"What's the matter?" she asked, and she could swear that he nearly squeaked. He stared at her for a while, as if contemplating something, before he shook his head and muttered 'nothing' under his breath, not so loud that the teacher could hear him saying it, at least.

She stared, but decided that it was nothing of importance, and so, she had not taken knowledge of the doubtful, shy looks that were directed to her from everywhere, and the doubtful, accusing look that was directed to her from the certain blond boy who sat right beside her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The school had finally ended. The bell that signaled the end of the school had finally rung, and the students quickly got up and put their things away into their bag before they rushed outside of the classroom, and out of the school building, back to their respective homes –or apartments, for those who owned one-.

Sakura got up and asked Neji to go home earlier with Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba while she'd stay behind for a little while, going to the math teacher's office which Itachi stayed in for the meantime, while he still worked as a math teacher in the school, and talked about things he wanted to talk about.

"Try not to take too long," Neji said as he warned. He slung bag over his shoulder, and stared at his twin little sister. "And be careful, I think something wrong is happening," he added as he looked downwards, his silvery eyes staring at the equally white tile floor. "I hope your cover doesn't get blown," he added silently.

She fell into silence. It was always her who got her cover blown, and not the others. They didn't cover themselves too much, only she did, and that's why only her cover could get blown. She knew they wouldn't blame her if it happened, because they knew that it wasn't solely her fault, but still, she felt guilty. Guilty for not being helpful enough to help them go through all this. "I know, I'll try," she said comfortingly as she patted the shoulder of her twin older brother, and smiled slightly at him, trying to assure him that everything would be alright.

"Be more careful around that blond boy," he added, and she let her hand slid down back to her side. "The blond boy who sat beside you. He seems to know something that he shouldn't," he explained. He had noticed the stares he threw her, and he knew what that had meant. He wanted to know whether that something that he had just known is true or not. That's the only cause as to why he acted like that before.

"I see," Sakura nodded her head. "Do not worry over it, Neji-nii-san, I'll take care of it if something does happen," she said determinedly, and she smiled slightly at him, before she slung her bag over her shoulder, and waved at him, then walked to the math teacher's office which was situated at the other end of the school building, in the row of offices for the teachers, with the principal room at the end.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Neji walked towards the school gate, where three figures stood, waiting for him. He smiled wryly at them, and they merely stared at her, not knowing what had happened. Neji himself wasn't quite sure of what had happened, but he could roughly guess that that blond boy had eavesdropped on them and learned about the fact that he wasn't a Yamazaki, but a Hyuuga, and that Sakura is actually Uchiha Sasuke.

"Something has gone wrong," it was more like a statement than a question. Shikamaru was the best at reading facial expression, and he could tell what someone was thinking about or if there was something troubling one's mind by studying their facial expression. He looked over to stare at the two others, before he stared back at Neji, the others did the same thing –facing him, then back to Neji-.

"It's about Sasuke," Neji said in a voice barely above a whisper. The yard was already deserted at that time, but he didn't dare repeat the same mistake. "His cover is blown," he added solemnly. Now he cursed the eyes he was gifted with. He was the only one who knew it because of them.

"Blown? But when?" Kiba asked, his tone clearly sounded like a surprised person's. He moved forward and confronted Neji. He knew that Neji'd be the one right because he had those eyes, but he wouldn't want to believe him just like that. Especially in things like this. He hoped that Neji got it wrong.

"Lunch break," Neji stated as he stared solemnly at the ground below his feet. "I noticed it when it was too late. Someone was on the top of the rooftop," he added. "Now we can only wish that he doesn't hear what he doesn't need to," he finished, and the others merely stared.

Shikamaru patted his shoulder. "Do not worry," he said reassuringly. "Even if he hears what he shouldn't, I will take full responsibility of it," he added, and the others looked at him. "I was the one who first called you Hyuuga, and that's why he knew," he explained shortly.

"For the time being," Kiba started, playing with the hem of his grayish furry jacket that covered most of his upper body part, and continued, "We can only hope that Sasuke is able to finish this without getting us in trouble. And," he added suddenly when the others were starting to relax down a bit, "We can hope that the person who eavesdropped on us is dependable enough to be told this secret if Sasuke can't handle this,"

The others stared at him. For once, he actually said something right.

"Let's go home then, no need to worry over him too much," Chouji suggested as he turned around and walked over to the gate, standing right beside it to wait for the three others to catch up. "Sasuke will handle this well. I believe in him," he added, and the others nodded in agreement.

They then walked down the pavement towards their own houses in silence.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was already empty inside of the school building even though it was only thirty minutes after the bell had rung. How the students managed to get out of school and get back home so quickly amazed her –and amused her probably-, but she did not laugh at it. It wasn't something worth laughing anyway.

The noise of balls bouncing and others were heard from the outside. She stopped on her trek for a while to stare out of the window, and to the courts at the school yard. The members of the clubs were out there practicing, so the school building was empty. It wasn't that hot out there, but still a bit hot. She looked at every club that was there for a little more while, before she continued her walk towards the office.

There was a section in the school building that was specially reserved for the teachers. She knew about it approximately one day after she had registered here –she was told by Itachi-. At that section, were two lines of teachers' offices –the infirmary was there as well-, and at the very end, were the principal's room, and the principal's secretary's room. They were the ones who held the highest authority in the school.

She walked, making sure that no teacher saw her, and stopped right in front of the math teacher's office. She positioned the strap of her bag that was slung over her shoulder and flipped her hair back. She raised her hand, and turned the knob without knocking, because she knew that the math teacher would know it was her or the others if she didn't knock on the door like the other students did –if they didn't, they'd get a detention-.

"Sasuke," Itachi called as he looked out of the window. The window was semi-mirror, so he could see her reflection on the window and recognized her as soon as she stepped in. "Sit down," he added, and Sakura nodded her head, walking over to the couch after closing the door behind her and locking it. She put her bag down beside her on the couch, and stared to the front, where Itachi stood backing her.

"Did this day go well?" Itachi asked as he turned around. He walked over, and sat down on the couch beside Sakura. He raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder before he pulled her closer into an embrace. "Is there something troubling your mind?" he asked, almost psychiatrist-like.

"I don't really know," Sakura answered, sitting still as she let herself being embraced by her real older brother. "Neji-nii-san says that someone might know who I really am, but… he's not too sure himself," she explained, feeling the need to tell him about what Neji had told her earlier before she went to his office as she was told.

"Neji said that?" Itachi asked softly, and Sakura nodded her head. He kept silent for a while. If Neji had said that, then it probably would turn out true. "Anyone in your class interests you?" he asked, trying to change the topic of the conversation. He hadn't called her for that kind of talk.

"No," Sakura answered simply.

"I see," Itachi nodded his head understandingly. "The investigation will be started tomorrow. We do not get a head start from them because they entered at the same time," he added as he stared at the floor. Sakura was a bit mentally disturbed. No, she isn't crazy. She was just a bit traumatized, and she has a phobia –or several phobias, no one really knew for sure. Not even the great medic they knew-.

"So they have entered here," Sakura mumbled. She stopped for a while, remembering the one person she loathed so much. She couldn't even bear to remember his face, but she was always haunted by it. Worse, she even got nightmares about him almost every night, and so, she had become restless for the past few weeks.

"Ssh," Itachi ruffled her hair and pulled her closer, before he kissed the top of her head. "Don't trouble yourself with that thought," he said almost hypnotizingly.

"Okay," she said obediently.

"I'll come over to your house this Saturday," he said. "Be there when I come," he added with a visible smile gracing his stoic features.

"Our house, you mean?" Sakura asked back. "No matter what will happen, it will always remain the Uchiha residence, and our house," she said. She didn't like the idea of him moving out to an apartment in the first place and she certainly didn't like him taking decision on his own. He was planning on giving the authority over the residence to her, much to her protest. It was days before the procedure would be finished and she would be the sole owner of the residence. It was big, and one could call it a residence, not a mere house.

"Okay, sorry for that," Itachi chuckled lowly. He was grateful that he had her as a younger sibling. She was protective of her kin, especially after the incident five years ago. She was loyal, and affectionate as well. She'd do almost anything to make them be comfortable in most situations, especially when they were sick.

"I'll take care of everything before Saturday," she said lowly, almost inaudibly. "Would you like to stay until Sunday or will you just go home at that very day?" she asked.

"I'll stay," Itachi said. He let go of her, and walked over to his desk to take his bag. "I'll walk you home today, the others have gone home earlier, haven't they?" he asked, and offered. He had seen the four friends walk over the gate of the school building and to their own houses through the window earlier.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She got up, and slung her bag over her shoulder again. She felt slightly better now, after another session. Itachi had studied psychology when he was still at university –all that for her, actually- and now, he has become her personal psychologist or psychiatrist, your choice.

She stood still for a while, before she jumped over the couch, and opened the lock and the door hastily. She banged the door open, but it was too late. When she looked out, to the corridor outside of the office, she saw no one.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked as he approached her who was standing at the doorway of his office, her right hand on the knob of the door. "Someone is standing there?" he asked as he looked down, and noticed a footprint on the floor that contradicted Sakura's footprint from earlier. The floor was mopped not long ago, and it was still wet when she came. It was no wonder that that someone had left a footprint.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded her head. She felt disappointed, and angry at herself. Angry for not being able to spot him –she could tell by the size of the footprint- earlier on, and angry for letting him know most of the things. But she had made sure that no one was at the school building before, so who did it?

"It's alright," Itachi mumbled, but she wasn't satisfied.

Now she knew how Neji must've felt when he noticed something, but was too late when he noticed it. She felt the exact same as him now.

Meanwhile, at the end of the corridor, a boy stood, panting hardly after he ran from the front of the office when she had noticed him there.

End of Chapter Two