Needless to say, that was the moment of my doom.
Contrary to what usually happens in romance novels where the main heroes find each other again a day or two after their first-usually accidental-meeting, it was almost three months later that I got the chance to speak to Sinbad again.
It took him no more than a week to become popular-especially among the females-and I would be lying if I said that I couldn't see why. Apart from being incredibly handsome, the man had a silver tongue and was absolutely brilliant when it came to dealing with people. He could turn a situation around in his favor in minutes and he did so in such a charming way, that the unsuspecting victim couldn't even realize that they had been duped at their own game.
For the first couple of weeks, many of our school's cliques invited him to join their circle and since I usually stayed clear of those people, it took half a month to even see him again. Not that anything extraordinary happened. We just happened to pass each other in the hallway while walking from one class to the other. He did wave at me and I did return his smile but other than that, we were both in a hurry to get to class so we didn't really get the chance to catch up. During the spam of the next month we had many run-ins like that but they were always brief and never above a 'good morning' and a few smiles. I didn't mind all that much and at the time, I was content with that simple contact. I was not used to people from the popular crowd giving me the time of day-quite the contrary, actually-so I got what I could. We even had Chemistry together but since we worked in pairs and I already had Sharrkan as my partner, our contact was reduced to a minimum. Again, I didn't have any expectations to begin with so….
It took me a month or so to realize that Sinbad was unlike most boys I knew. First of all, although politely, he refused any and all invitations to enter the school's popular cliques. I was kind of surprised by that and I have to admit that I did feel a bit ashamed for judging him so quickly after knowing him-not really-for a month and a half. He remained his charming, cheerful self and he talked to everyone politely, but he preferred to hang out with Sharrkan and two other boys from our year, Jafar and Masrur. I knew both of them, Jafar a bit better than Masrur since we had Math and Homeroom together, and I liked the both of them. They seemed like cool guys and they had never made fun of me so that was definitely a plus in my book.
Anyway….As I have already mentioned, it took almost three months for me to get another chance to talk to Sinbad again. And that chance came in the form of a very annoying and very sick Sharrkan…
XxxOxOxOxxX
Sakura paced impatiently outside the door of the Chemistry Lab. The bell had already rung and still no sight of Sharrkan. The girl grumbled to herself about 'lazy classmates' and 'stupid boys', earning sideway glances from some of the students making their way inside the lab but she ignored them in favor of glaring at the hallway, as if it was the one at fault for Sharrkan's tardiness.
She continued to watch the students as they filled the lab, hoping to catch sight of the unmistakable white head that belonged to her dark-skinned lab partner. When a couple of more minutes passed with no results, Sakura sighed and walked dejectedly inside the lab before heading towards her usual desk. It wouldn't be long before Asuma-sensei came in to begin the class so she slummed down on her seat to wait. She rested her head on her arms and felt her eyes drop as last night's lack of sleep due to math homework caught up to her. A moment later, her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she turned it on to see that she had received a text message from Sharrkan.
'Hey beautiful! Your prince can't make it today. I fell ill so I'll be staying home for a couple of days. Be a sweet and take some notes for me? See you Saki! Xo Xo'
The girl rolled her eyes. Even in sickness, Sharrkan was an incorrigible flirt. She sent back a reply that consisted of 'Shut up and get well, you idiotic playboy.' and approached the teacher, who had just walked in.
"Excuse me, Asuma-sensei?" she called.
"Oh! Hello there, Sakura. What can I do for you? If you need to ask me anything, please be a bit quick about it because I have to start the class in two minutes."
"No, nothing of that sort." she answered, shaking her head. "I just wanted to inform you that my partner Sharrkan is ill and won't be here today."
"That's too bad." said the teacher thoughtfully. "Can I trouble you with providing him with this lesson's notes?"
Knowing that she had nothing better to do that afternoon and being a compassionate person by nature, the girl nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Excellent. Along with the notes, please do pass him my best wishes." The older man smiled at her. "Do take your seat and I will assign you a temporary partner for today."
"Right. Thank you sensei." Sakura walked back to her desk and sat down before turning to her bag that she had left on the floor beside the legs of her chair. She was in the middle of taking out her pen and notebook when a shadow fell over her.
"I knew I would get the chance to talk to you again."
For a moment she stilled, immediately recognizing that voice. She turned around slowly, trailing her eyes up strong legs, a toned stomach and broad shoulders. Her gaze landed on his handsome face, noticing the charming wide smile and the mirthful golden eyes. She didn't really believe in fate or any of that karmic nonsense but this was looking ridiculously similar to the things happening in those sappy movies her friend, Ino, usually made her watch after one of the blonde's break-ups.
She faced him fully and smiled at him shyly. "Um….Hi."
Sinbad laughed. "Wow. That has to be the most unenthusiastic greeting I have ever received in my life."
The girl blushed. "Sorry. I was a bit distracted. I just have a lot on my mind."
"Well, I'm sure it's nothing one of Asuma-sensei's oh-so-interesting lectures won't be able to make you forget."
The pinkette giggled. "True. So, I take you are my temporary partner?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
Sakura's smile fell. What exactly did he mean by unfortunately? It wasn't like she had personally chosen for this arrangement to happen. All he had to do was walk over to Asuma-sensei and request a different partner if he found the idea of being hers for one hour so repulsing. Perhaps she had been wrong about him…
Crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest, she raised a critical eyebrow, her temper flaring slightly. "Unfortunately?"
He moved closer, towering over her and leaning closer to her face, making her cheeks grow hot. "It's too bad that this will only last one day. Sharrkan is one lucky bloke." he said, his smile turning into the kind of smirk that made girls go week at the knees. He pulled back, his face returning to his previous cheerful expression as if nothing had happened. "Shall we begin?" he added, motioning to the teacher who had just began writing their assignment on the board.
Sakura stared at his back incredulously for a while before turning to the board, blushing furiously and stammering about 'never understanding boys' under her breath.
XxxOxOxOxxX
Seriously, that had to be one of the most embarrassing experiences in my life. I mean, we were in the middle of class where anyone could have seen him getting so close to me. Though at the time I hadn't been in the right state of mind to analyze the embarrassing part of the situation, it did occur to me later that even Asuma-sensei had seen us, not to mention that idiot neighbor of mine, Inuzuka. Really, Kiba is a really nice guy and we often get together for coffee or lunch since he happens to have opened a veterinary office near the hospital I work at, but during our school days he used to be a huge gossip along with Ino. I am sure that by the time school ended that day, everyone knew about that little stunt. And that involved my overprotective idiot cousin, Naruto Uzumaki and his always sulking best mate, Uchiha Sasuke.
Now, I think I should mention that I used to have a bit of a crush on Sasuke. I met him through my cousin when we were nine or ten and you can say that I was swept away. Up until then, my opinion on the opposite sex had been formed based on Naruto and Kiba. So, you can guess that I thought boys in general were loud, annoying, dirty and immature. And then there came Sasuke. Remember how I told you that my fairy-tale prince was a bit broody and mysterious? You guessed right! I did base my prince charming on Sasuke. He was unlike any other boy I knew-they weren't many to begin with-and he interested me. Where Naruto and Kiba were loud and childish, he was silent and always serious. He had that aura of mystery that made me ignore the scowl on his face and the broody expression.
For the first couple of years of our acquaintance, I used to simply watch from afar and be content with the time I spent with him because of Naruto. Things became a bit more complicated when we started junior high and I came to realize what exactly it meant to have a boyfriend and be in a relationship. Sasuke still was his usual silent self and while to others he came across as unapproachable, I knew better. At least I thought I did.
I did try to make him understand that I liked him a bit more than a friend. I went out of my way to talk to him and try to make him smile, I made sure to save him a seat at the cafeteria during lunch and I went to every match of our school's team to cheer him on even though I wasn't that interested in football. In the end I came to realize that he was either incredibly dense or he really wasn't into me at all. And since this is Sasuke we are talking about, I came to the crashing realization that yes, I did like him and no, he didn't like me back that way even in the least.
I was devastated for a while but it was at that time that I started hanging out with Judar so he helped me a lot in that aspect as well. I started to spend less and less time with Naruto-that I still see as my brother. Yes, we are that close- and Sasuke and though we continued to meet from time to time, it wasn't that hard for me to forget him. Crushes are just that. They tend to pass quickly if you put your mind to it. By the time we started high school, the whole situation was nothing but a bittersweet memory from my past and Sasuke a friend, nothing more nothing less.
The whole thing with Sinbad…That was something entirely different. At first I couldn't really see why, apart from the fact that I was no longer a ten-yea-old. And let me tell you, trying to answer questions of the kind can prove to be the most mentally exhausting experience of your life. At first, it seemed almost irrational that a boy I had known for a couple of months could get such a reaction out of me. Trying to find out how or why was nerve-wrecking and for a while I tried to ignore it, pushing it at the back of my mind. But that way of handling things can only get you so far. And this is Sinbad we are talking about. The guy doesn't know what it means to give up and he can drive even the most patient of people up the wall while smiling like an idiot. Well, I am not the most patient of people out there. Quite the contrary according to what I've been told but that could have just been Judar being a prat.
Mind-blowing. That's what the situation was. Mind-blowing and confusing and downright annoying as was Sinbad. For a while I tried to pay as little attention to this thorn in my side as possible. Key word: tried. After a while, I came to the realization that the universe itself was against me. Now, I know what you want to ask. Why would I find this situation annoying and try to avoid it? I mean, what woman wouldn't be happy to have a handsome guy showing even mild interest in them?
Remember that crush on Sasuke? Well, when your first experience of 'love' or attraction to the opposite sex-whatever floats your boat-is not only unrequited but the other party is just a step away from completely ignoring you, you tend to be rather suspicious when it comes to allowing men to approach you. After Sasuke 'rejected' me-in his own way, of course-I did spend some time crying my eyes out and I certainly didn't want a repeat of that with Sinbad. Add to that the fact that self-confidence was never one of my strong points and you get the idea. Sinbad was-and is-an incredibly handsome guy and during our school days he had girls throwing themselves at his feet at every chance. I mean, why would he ever turn to look at me? Yes, he did greet and smile at me every time we saw each other and he did initiate small talk but that has nothing to do with actually being interested in someone. Yeah, as you have probably guessed my sex appeal was a bit undeveloped.
As it turned out the universe had other plans for me, even though at first I did believe that even it was against me…
XxxOxOxOxxX
Sakura kicked a pebble off the sidewalk as she made her way to Sharrkan's house to drop off that day's homework. Asuma-sensei had passed they word that she would be visiting the sick boy and all his teachers had thought that it would be a good idea to pile everything he had missed that day on her. Sharrkan's house was a couple of blocks away from her own so the walk wasn't that long and lost in thought as she was, she didn't even realize when she was ringing the bell. She had to wait half a minute before Sharrkan appeared behind the door wrapped in a blanked with a cup of steaming tea in one hand.
Sakura snorted and covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter. "Don't you look dashing!" she commented, a giggle escaping.
"Not funny, Saki." answered the sick boy while steeping aside to let her in.
She immediately began walking up the familiar flight of stairs she had many times ascended due to previous Chemistry projects they had had to complete as a team with Sharrkan close behind her. She walked through the door and immediately threw her bag aside before flopping down on the chair of the boy's desk. Sharrkan made himself comfortable on his bed and sipped his tea.
"How are you feeling, lecher?" she asked, twirling the chair around.
"Thanks, Saki." he said sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."
"Glad to help." she answered cheekily, stopping the swirling of the chair and taking hold of her bag. She took out her notebook and tore a blank page before starting to write down the pages they had to study and all the homework the teachers had given her. She was halfway through with Sharrkan humming a ridiculous tune while sipping his tea when the doorbell rang. The boy groaned.
"Expecting anyone?" asked the girl.
"Yeah, one of my buddies is coming over to see how I'm doing and perhaps catch a movie or play a video game." he answered and made to stand up but Sakura stopped him.
"Let me go get it." she offered, already standing up.
"It's fine, Saki. I can go-"
"I didn't ask for your permission." she shot back with a smile.
Sharrkan chuckled. "Thanks, doll. You are the best!" he called after her as she walked out of the room.
"Don't get used to it, you prat!" she called back teasingly. The girl descended the stairs silently, humming a cheerful tune under her breath as she skipped to the door, grabbed hold of the doorknob and pulled it open.
"Hey there Shar-Sakura?"
The rosette was aware that she was probably making for a very ridiculous sight with her mouth hanging open and her eyes as wide as plates but she just couldn't help it. Of all the people Sharrkan could have been expecting, Sinbad was the last possible candidate on her list. She continued to stare at him for a couple of more seconds before she was able to regain her composure. She coughed in her fist to clear her throat-and break the slightly awkward silence-and smiled hesitantly.
"Hi there." she greeted him shyly.
The long-haired teen smiled back and scratched the back of his purple head. "There you go again with the enthusiastic greetings. May I come in?"
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, suddenly realizing that they were still standing at the doorstep, and stepped aside to allow him in. She shut the door behind them and waited for him to hang his coat before beginning to ascend the stairs with Sinbad close behind her.
"So, why are you here?" asked the man curiously.
"Just to drop off some homework, though I'm sure that I'll have to come back tomorrow too."
"Is Sharrkan really that sick?" he noted, the concern for his friend evident in his voice.
Sakura shrugged. "He's not that bad but it would be better if he stayed home until he recovers fully."
They reached the door to Sharrkan's room and he held it open for her. "After you, my Lady." he said cheekily, making a show of bowing down.
Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "How kind of you, my good Lord." she replied, making her voice sound as aristocratic as she could while pulling the invisible skirts of her non-existent dress in an imitation of the bows she had seen women of the Court perform in movies.
"Sinbad! Hey there mate!" shouted their sick host, snapping them out of their role playing and making them break eye-contact.
"How are you doing man?" asked Sinbad as he made himself comfortable on the floor beside his friend's bed while Sakura finished scribing down homework.
"Could have been better but I'll survive. I have Saki to take care of me!" The white-haired boy grinned widely, winking at the pinkette who was putting her things back inside her bag.
Sakura rolled her emerald eyes. "In your dreams, you smartass." She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be going now or else my parents are going to be worried. Be more careful, you idiot and take care of yourself. Have fun."
She was halfway to the door when she was abruptly stopped by a hand grabbing her wrist, making her pause mid-step. She looked down and followed the arm only for her eyes to stop on Sinbad's expectant face.
"Why don't you stay here with us for a couple more hours?" he suggested. "We are probably going to watch a movie. Maybe catch up on some good old video games."
"Yes Saki! Why don't you stay?" chimed in Sharrkan.
"I don't know…"
"Oh come on!" urged Sinbad. "It's going to be fun. We haven't had the chance to catch up since that day at the infirmary and we certainly didn't get one today during Chemistry. What do you say?"
Sakura furrowed her brows in thought. The offer was tempting, she had to admit. The evening was bound to be interesting with these two and she would get a couple more hours away from her nosy mother who loved to meddle in her personal life far too much for the pinkette's liking. She could also keep an eye on Sharrkan in case his condition worsened. It was purely out of concern for her friend, she reasoned in her mind. Yeah, it had nothing to do with spending more time with Sinbad. Nothing at all.
Sighing heavily, the girl relented. "Ok, I'll stay." she said, ignoring Sharrkan's enthusiastic exclamations and glanced to the hand still holding her wrist. "Umm….You can let go now." she said shyly.
The long-haired teen smiled at her. "Wouldn't that be a shame?"
And if she wanted to be honest, it really would be.
XxxOxOxOxxX
Needless to say that we really had fun that day. Not entirely in the boys' favor, though Sharrkan still denies everything to this day. After being done with homework-and having me prepare considerable amounts of popcorn-we decided to catch a movie. Of course, both boys had the oh-so-ingenious idea to watch a new horror movie that had just come out and was supposedly a blast. You know those cliché situations where a couple watches a horror movie and the girl almost always jumps in the boy's arms after getting the fright of her life? That was those two idiots' plan, though theirs involved the laughs they were going to get from seeing me cower behind a pillow.
As it turned out, they hadn't counted on me being immune to the horror gender due to all those movies I had watched with Naruto and Kiba. In the end, it was Sharrkan who ended up screaming his head off, though Sinbad was a lot more dignified in his fright. My cheeks still hurt from all the laughing I did that day. Some great blackmail material that was!
I even got to know Sinbad much better than before. Getting to know him like that made me all the more interested in him and by the end of the night, I was giggling at his jokes like a school girl in love. I had the 'school girl' part, alright. Now, the 'in love' part of the equation was something else entirely. For a couple of weeks after that pleasant evening, things went by smoothly and I have to admit that Sinbad and I got a lot closer, stopping to chat in the hallways and eating lunch together from time to time, though Judar wasn't that fond of him at the beginning.
But as it happens in every proper fairy-tale, drama is never absent for long…..
TBC
Here we are again! I hope you liked the previous chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one as well. There really isn't much to say about the chapter, only that I feel great to be back to writing NarutoXMagi Crossovers.
Note: A Guest's request for a SakuraXHakuryuu Crossover is underway….
Until next time, READ AND REVIEW!
Lots of love!