A/N: I edited some part on April 30, 2020
Disclaimer: not mine…
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Chapter three: Blame the cat
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The meeting was a bore and except for wanting to wring a neck or two it was uneventful at most and definitely a waste of his time.
Uchiha Sasuke went out of the meeting room quickly as soon as it ends to do his rounds as a prefect of surveying the hallway to catch and solve any problems and misfits before his next class. And knowing the students of Kaguya Academy it is just a matter of minutes at most before something happens.
CRASH!
The Uchiha thought of how he is tired of being right almost all of the times.
'What the freaking hell is it this time.'
He walked towards where the sound came from and turned just in time to see a small girl with pink hair picked a cat from the floor who was beside a broken glass trophy as she mumbled loudly to herself, "Crap, just how much more mess am I going to experience today until the yoga will be of no help!"
She held the fat cat on air while facing her and told it with a glare, "You are so going to get it from me missy!"
The cat meowed cutely making the girl's expression go soft.
She rolled her eyes and said as she cradled the cat in her arms, "Okay okay, I forgive you this one time again."
It would have been amusing if not only for the fact that the shining shattered trophy is a school property and absolutely of importance. Money is not enough to compensate for it.
"Ahem…" Sasuke fake cough to get the girl's attention who visibly stiffen. She turned towards him like a deer caught in headlights just as she quickly hid the cat behind her, and unsuccessfully at that -since it is just too fat to go unnoticed and be blocked by her small frame. Actually, now that he thought of it how does her small hands and frail-looking arms seems to be able to lift the definitely heavy cat with seemingly no effort at all?
Sasuke watched her with scrutinizing eyes and saw her own eyes widen behind her eyeglass when she saw his silver badge that signifies his status as a prefect.
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Namikaze Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba believes in fate and miracle now, respectively.
When the blonde boy arrived at the room it was already more than 30 minutes into class and to say that Yamato-sensei was furious is more than just an understatement. However, just as when their teacher opened his mouth a green and orange jacket fell from Naruto's bag.
The odor that greeted everyone was so strong that Yamato instead closed his nose with his hand. And because Kiba's sense of smell was so strong he gagged while almost all the girls inside the class half shrieked and every student complained loudly.
Naruto was the only person who seemed to be immune to it but since he ran so fast to the class he was sweating more than just a bucket and looked as if he was close to collapsing, probably because all he ate just went out of his system.
Yamato-sensei easily forgave him after that believing him to be sick since when he was escorted to the infirmary the school nurse testified that he just vomited, and thankfully omitting the 'all over a girl' information for the record.
"Wow," was all Kiba can say to his friend who was busily refilling his stomach …. with a bun -another miracle of the day.
"I was actually envisioning a dozen ways on how Yamato-sensei would punish you bro. And seeing you unscathed is still unbelievable,"
The young Namikaze just gave him a thumbs up with his mouth still stuffed.
"Tell me what really happen," inquired Kiba for the third time since his friend just evaded it the first two times.
After gulping a mouthful of juice Naruto wiped his mouth with his school uniform's sleeve. He turned red again and scratched his neck.
"I… It was fate Kiba," he finally said with a very determined - 'and was that twinkle in his eyes?!'- look while staring at the green hoodie, now wrapped in a black plastic cellophane together with his orange jacket saving them from inhaling the bad odor of ramen puke.
The Inuzuka just looked at his friend dumbly.
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"P-prefect-san! I-I… I'm sorry! It was just an accident but i promise to pay for the damage. So please don't put me in detention or it will mess my records!" Sakura bowed as she apologize while stuttering and thinking how the situation was oddly familiar but then the cat suddenly fell out of her grasps behind her and meowed loudly.
'Crap' she cursed inside her head.
Breaking a trophy is one thing but if this prefect will know that the cat is not her pet but just a stray whom she had pick there is a high probability of her kissing her clean record of being a detentionless student goodbye, then her effort of doing yoga to contain her temper which never cease to cause her trouble is all but a waste.
"This cat has no collar," was the first thing he said, and blankly at that. "Breaking school property, bringing animal to school grounds which is not a pet, and… wearing the P.E. uniform on Monday."
Sakura winced at what he said and felt a little bit guilty. However, considering how unlucky her day had become the guilt was slowly buried by her need to shout or punch something to release her frustrations which she really tried hard to suppress.
"Sheismypet!"
'That was too quick a response,' she thought before continuing, "I… left her collar. And you see I was in an unfortunate accident earlier," she really don't want to be reminded of that tragedy and for making her remember the incident, the situation is seriously starting to irk her - 'inner peace…, don't waste the yoga lessons'-, "so I am now wearing a P.E. uniform."
"Name."
"Her name is…," - 'think Sakura!'- "Miss Umbridge." -'Wow…very creative'
For a while she could have swear that he snorted.
"YOUR name."
"I-I…"
"Name," the prefect said more sternly.
"Haruno… Sakura," Sakura had thought how she'll definitely like to pull the golden pole out of his royal arse and shove it inside his equally royal pretty face.
'Jerk.'
The Prefect had paused in his action of scribbling her name on his notebook and looked at her before she realized that yes she certainly had said that out loud.
He closed his notebook and face her, or more like looked down at her for how tall he was -Sakura is absolutely not acknowledging the fact that she is short just like what his Shi-nisan had said.
"I memorized all the names of students who owns a pet in this school. None of it I recall is Haruno Sakura."
Now she does not feel guilty of calling him jerk. She know she is very unreasonable for being the one who broke the school rules here and he's just doing his job but her sealed temper is starting to crack ever since in the morning when the unlucky day started and needless is it to say that she is really not in the right mood to find inner peace right now. First, she forgot her assignment at first period that got her punish, it would have been nothing that bad if not only for the snickers she heard from quite a few of her classmate that made her choke them, in her mind that is -unfortunately. And then there was the humiliating traumatic incident earlier plus she COULD NOT find her favorite green hoodie -vomit-soaked or not she still cherish it- and then her only eyeglasses has cracks now because she just had to accidentally bump into her eccentric seatmate during her class after going out of the infirmary, and guess what he said to her after she apologized: "Blind… and ugly." Just be reminded that she's not exactly a girl with that much patience but the yoga and her shishou's warning did help to calm her down and hopefully, it will last.
She exhaled slowly to calm her emerging temper and said with gritted teeth, "I admit that I lied about the cat and for that I really do apologize Mr. Prefect but it was not completely a lie and still has some truth to it. And so if Mr. Prefect would not mind please allow me to explain my side of the story before accusing me and listing my name."
Sakura took the boy's silence as indication to go on so she continued after a loud exhale.
"I do believe that an accident is not reason enough for a student to be put in detention and as I said earlier I will pay for the damage. And perhaps this would serve as a lesson to not just display any school property anywhere. Also contrary to what you said I did not brought the cat here, Miss Umbridge was already here, I just saw her limping after my first period class and treated her. Our school do have one of the slogan of "Be kind to every living beings". Plus I was actually on my way to bring her to the Animal Rights Club and Department to let her be listed as my pet which was even agreed upon by the school nurse and Kurenai-sensei just a while ago on my last class which is why it really is true that she is my pet even albeit it is not yet officially listed, you can ask them for confirmation. And… I was a victim of an embarrassing incident, which I hope you would kindly not ask me to recount but I do have the school nurse as a witness to it, that resulted to me wearing a P.E. uniform," Sakura ended her speech almost breathless mostly because she exerted her energy more on not shouting and calling him names such as Mr. Prefect-with-large-pole-up-his-arse and the likes. Also the part about the school nurse agreeing to the adoption was a lie but more approval means more chances of getting off the hook and she knew that Shi would back her up -except that she know in her gut that there will be a prize.
If she had been looking closely she would have saw how he gave a bemused smirk for a second probably because she caught him a tiny bit off guard when her tone and attitude just flipped from a scared cat awhile ago to a little bit aggressive but restrained wild cat just when he started to think that she will give up. And yes he did notice that she's suppressing her temper if the gritted teeth and sharp glare was any indication and maybe that's why he took it as a challenge to break her.
"Very well," he finally said that made Sakura sigh with relief until he added, "but since the thing you broke is irreplaceable with just money, and even if it is I truly doubt you can afford it," he said while looking at her from head to toe noticing her obviously well worn old glasses with cracks and also old sneakers with faded color, plus he knew she's one of the just average class students so he believed that she would definitely not be able to afford the unique custom made expensive glass trophy from the National Math Competition, "so I think it is only fair that we took something which you can afford to give. Maybe cheap but something that would still benefit the school."
Sakura was in utter disbelief. Did he just insinuate in her face that she looks broke?! Well she is, but still!
The high class jerk just continued insinuating each word, "I do recall that the biology department is in dire need of a big specimen to dissect for their valuable research study but has a scarce supply for it." He said while taking a look at the cat on the floor.
Sakura's eyes widen in realization and quickly picked the cat and hugged it directly against her chest.
"And I do believed you have one at your hand that can help them and since you will claim ownership for the cat, with your approval we can give letter to the Animal Protection Department and it will be no problem," the prefect stated as he slowly advanced towards her while she walk backwards.
"Look Haruno-san, just give me the cat. I can overlook that you just broke three rules in a row in exchange of that Miss Umbridge."
"Are you STUPID?! I just treated her and you want me to adopt her just to give her to you to kill in the end?!"
Now it is the prefect's turn to look pissed, perhaps it is not everyday that he is called stupid by someone, much less by a stubborn someone he just met.
He forcefully grabbed the cat but Sakura held it tightly while both glared electricity at each other. But then the cat must have been hurt and it scratched the Prefect's hand as it jumped out of her arms and ran away from the two of them.
"Now you scared my cat away idiot!"
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"Can I f*ck*ng torture him?" a boy with slicked back silver hair who wears the uniform with buttons open halfway that shows his chiseled chest said with murderous purple eyes as he held a boy sporting an orange swirling mask which only shows his one teary eye.
"Hidan-senpai, sniff… sniff… Tobi is sorry! Tobi promise not to step on a sleeping Hidan-senpai again! Please, sniff… Tobi is a good boy. Tobi didn't mean to do it!"
"That's what you said the last time you f*cktard."
"Stop it Hidan," an older boy with tattoo stitches on his tanned arms and face said, "it's actually your fault for sleeping anywhere so don't start killing anybody especially without paying for the damage."
Tobi just gave his senpai a teary one-eyed puppy eye.
Mostly because the puppy eye sickened him, the vulgar boy let go of the self-claimed good boy but not without a loud painful thud.
"You're actually worse than that lazy Nara," Akasuna Sasori, a boy with red hair, pale skin and bored but piercing brown eyes commented while he was lazily lounging in a couch. "At least he doesn't sleep anywhere," he added.
Yamanaka Deidara the other occupant of it, who has long blonde hair in half pony tail and whose bangs covered his one eye revealing only his other deep blue eye, laughed and said gleefully, "Good one danna!"
"If only he also has the brain," Uchiha Itachi, a more mature and manly version of his younger brother Uchiha Sasuke, said offhandedly while reading a book.
It was silent for a quick moment, mainly because it is rare for the Uchiha to butt in on their chaotic conversations, until Kakuzu -their treasurer and the one with the tattoo stitches- snorted and laughs were followed by the rest, mostly from Deidara, except for Hidan and Tobi, and only because the latter was suddenly occupied by something big and white that caught his eye from the halfway opened door.
"I'll really bloody murder you all," Hidan said with a menacing glare at all of them.
"Senpai! Senpai! Look what I found!" Tobi suddenly exclaimed.
The rest of the occupants of the room all turn their heads on him and finally saw what made their childish gangmate all so enthusiastic … A cat. A very fat white cat with only the ears colored black.
"Isn't she cute?" Tobi excitedly said as he cuddles the fat cat.
"Overstuffed I must say. It must cost the owner a fortune to feed the damn thing. But still, I think it would pay well if we sell it," Kakuzu said as if inspecting a product.
"Can I offer that damn thing to Jashin instead?" Hidan chimed in.
Itachi stopped reading to look at the cat for a few second before returning to read his book as if it doesn't concern him.
Sasori and Deidara stood up to look at what the fuss is all about.
"I think she would make a fine puppet," Sasori said with dangerous glint in his eyes.
"No. The cat would look more beautiful with a bang! Imagine that many fur and blood flying everywhere like fireworks… I should try my new art on her. Maybe I'll do it inside the faculty room," Deidara excitedly declared.
Tobi was sweating behind his mask and hugged the cat closer while trying to cover it's ears as if the feline could hear them. Note: don't bring other living things to the Akatsuki, the school slogan is utterly of no use to them.
Deidara grabbed the cat but Tobi held it tighter.
"No senpai! Tobi doesn't want this cute cat to die!"
"Give me the damn cat Tobi! I can't let this inspiration on my new art go away!"
The others went back to sitting while observing the happenings as if watching a sitcom. Hidan sat from where Deidara lounged previously and even opened a snack.
The feline meowed loudly as it was being pulled from both side painfully, but it only fell to deaf ears until it can take no more and bit Tobi's hand and scratch Deidara's. They suddenly had let go of the cat and the balance went off so it jumped.
The cat landed on Deidara's head and then he tried so hard to remove the damn feline but it just meowed angrily and used its claws to hold into the blonde artist's pony tailed hair. The sight was absolutely comical as Deidara, grunting loudly, tried hard to pull the cat from his pretty hair causing his pony tail to be halfway removed and his always clean shiny hair now turn into a total mess while he cursed the cat to oblivion that will make Hidan real proud, if only the said boy was not busy laughing to his heart's content while clutching his stomach due to the sight that even Itachi can't help but chuckle softly at.
Tobi helped pull the cat from his senpai's head and since it held tight unto Deidara he put his foot on the blonde's stomach for leverage.
Hidan fell from the couch from laughing too hard. Good thing Kisame wasn't there or it would've been more noisy.
And then finally the cat let go and they fell on the floor. As soon as it happened both the cat and Tobi ran away from the room, and fast at that.
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On the other hand…
The damn cat just scratched him and all she could say was that? The cat got away?!
To say that he is pissed off is an understatement and this is the first time ever that he almost lost his cool. And all because he was called stupid and idiot -in a row (bastard and jerk yes but he is anything but stupid)- by a hardheaded small girl with ridiculous pink hair who had the nerve to shout at him and be more concern with a stupid cat with equally stupid name who scratched his hand.
"I told you she will become my pet!" the girl continued to shout at him.
"And I told you that you can pay the trophy no other way!"
Exhaling slowly to calm himself he said, "Now if you'll excuse me I need to catch an important specimen for the sake of education."
Just as when he step another foot towards where the feline had run off to he was blocked by the girl who spread her arms.
He was caught off guard since she was a little too close. And because he was half a head taller he got a whiff of her hair's scent. He had unconsciously noted that it is the exact shampoo of what he was currently using -melon and peach scent- and for a moment he uncharacteristically got flustered for unknown reason. And Uchiha Sasuke never got flustered.
Sasuke only got his composure when she started saying, "I'll win the National Math Competition this year."
He looked down at her with a bewildered look for a second that Sasuke had started to think of how he just met this girl but she is already capable of getting him surprise and pissing him off in many ways unimaginable.
But then he said with a smirk, "It was seven years ago when Kaguya Academy last got the title of champion for that competition. I do remember that your name is one of the top three students on the entrance exam this year. However, even before getting a part on it you still need to compete with many other more intelligent students from every year just to get the spot among the two. And even if you do get it what makes you think that you will win against Sound Academy even when Uchiha Itachi and Uzumaki Pein did not last year?"
The girl still gave him a defiant look and stated again, "I will win the National Math Competition. And I believe that it is more than enough to compensate for the broken trophy. And if I won't…" she closed her eyes and added with a gulp, "then I will give you Miss Umbridge."
She really is stubborn and ridiculous.
Sasuke sighed and said, "Very well. The research lasts a year so it can wait anytime this school year but before I agree to that I need to confirm that the school nurse and Kurenai-sensei had approve of you adopting the cat. And I will inform them of our agreement. I'll let my hand be treated at the infirmary on the way."
"About that… can we do that tomorrow? Don't you still have your next class to attend? It's almost time and I also still really need to find my cat or she might be in trouble."
The Uchiha is starting to get exasperated. Just where does her priority lie?! He needs to be treated first!
Fighting the will to face-palm himself he said passively, "Then I will meet you tomorrow."
Just as when he turned his back the girl caught his arm.
"Wait!"
She let go of him when he faced her with a questioning look, then she scrambled for something in her backpack and took out a smaller bag which he gathers was a first aid kit.
She took his scratched hand and cleanse it with alcohol first before putting an ointment.
He was a bit surprise that he did not reflexively avoid her hand when she took it and he did not felt nauseous from being too close to a girl. Maybe it's the familiar scent on her.
Then he can't help but observe the girl. She is not wearing any make-up on her face which is something very rare on their school but her white skin still looks so smooth and flawless, her lips is obviously naturally rosy while her nose was your typical but somehow a bit different Asian small button nose.
"I'm sorry for what Miss Umbridge did to you," she suddenly said that he quickly look elsewhere and felt flustered again for almost being caught observing. "The wound is not deep since she only scratched the surface of your skin so there will be no problem. And don't worry it won't leave a scar."
She finally took a band-aid with ironically cute puppies as a design and put it on his hand.
"There… Now you don't need to go to the infirmary."
'Does one need to say thank you in this situation?' he thought.
But then he just opted to hn'ed before he left the weird, stubborn pink-haired girl.
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"Here kitty kitty kitty… here kitty…" Sakura called for Miss Umbridge. She is now wearing the brown hoodie her Shi-nissan gave to her which covers her pink head since it really has become a habit of hers.
After more than 10 minutes she finally heard a meow and she exhaled for relief. Sakura followed the sound and saw the cat running fast as if it is running away from a scary ghost. But the more worrying fact is that Miss Umbridge is limping again. Looks like her wound reopened.
She went to met the feline and brought it on her arms to inspect her leg again. Just as when she started to open the bandage a grumble was heard from where Miss Umbridge came from.
"You!" a shout was heard. And a very angry one at that.
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"Is that your damn cat little girl?" Deidara asked the small girl with uncontained rage, and add to the fact that his hair was a tangled mess all over, it was indeed not a sight to behold.
The girl frown behind her glasses at the sudden rude attitude and answered, "Yes. Why?"
And then just like his art, Deidara's temper exploded like a bang. "Why?! WHY?!" he shouted on her face with furious blue eyes on fire that made the girl stepped back slightly and flinched as he continued his rambling, "I'LL DEEP FRY THIS CURSED THING ALIVE AND MAKE YOU WATCH IT! LOOK WHAT THAT BLOODY THING DID TO ME AND MY HAIR! REMOVING THAT F*CK*NG CAT'S FUR IS NOT ENOUGH. LET . ME . SKIN . IT . ALIVE."
On that moment ,Tobi appeared looking for the cat since he lost her when they went on different path after they ran away. But because his focus was solely on it he had failed to take note of a furious shouting blonde and he suddenly excitedly jump beside the girl holding the cat which made her and the feline jump in alarm -figures, since both was currently being helplessly yelled at. But the cat with it's hair risen up in shock leaped directly towards the shouting blonde's face causing him to fall back and definitely not gently.
Both the girl and Tobi was rooted in their place, their eyes wide open -or whatever eye is visible on the masked-boy's face anyway- as they watch it all transpired slowly.
Tobi luckily regained his self and with a burst of adrenaline due to fear for his life and for the cat's, he quickly picked the feline just as when a murderous aura had began to form on his senpai's fallen figure then he grabbed the girl's wrist who eeped in surprise as he pulled her and ran -not without a yelp- out of danger.
Thunder and lightning seems to formed on Yamanaka Deidara's head as he slowly sit up and growled like an animal, feeling the little bit of sting from where the cat had scratched him on his forehead earlier. He glared daggers with bombs at the retreating forms and saw that the girl's hood fell and noted that her hair was pink.
Deidara grinned sadistically and shouted, "I'll get you Tobi, you and that pinky! And that stupid little cat too!"
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Verdict
Defender: Miss Umbridge (the cat)
Judge: Readers
Guilty or Not Guilty?
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A/N: I just added that last part for fun (personally, I really don't blame the cat… and also the ramen from the first chapter for that matter). Also, I hope that was funny. A wink to those who understand the reference to Deidara's last sentence. I sure enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it too.