Note: Since the reviewer I will mention soon is anonymous, I put this response here since I can't actually respond to them privately. Anyway, the story isn't SasuIno, since it says SasuSaku in the summary! I do agree about your pairings, however. SasuSaku should last forever. OTP! Yay! And InoShika is also cool. Ino and Shikamaru are destiny.
But I have exciting news! I've now decided that Ino is better than Sakura! And sure, she acts a little more like Sasuke (is it me, or is SasuSaku extremely similar to the Matt and Christie pairing from DramaCon? And SasuIno seems a lot like Matt and Emily!), but still. Even though I liked Matt and Emily together and didn't like Matt and Christie together, and I like SasuSaku and dislike SasuIno, I like Ino better than Sasuke. And somehow I can't see them together. Probably because I like Ino and don't particularly like Sasuke, whereas in SasuSaku, I dislike both people.
Now that my annoying tirade is over, let's read the actual chapter!
-:-
I stared at Sasuke in shock. Could it be possible that he preferred Ino to me? I was positively dumbfounded, and was sure I had a gorgeous look of chagrin on my face. Chagrin looks great with dried syrup, by the way. Not.
Ino, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased. No, strike that.
Imagine that you're having the greatest day ever. Your crush looooooooves you, you just succeeded in everything you'd ever dreamed of, and people are giving you presents just for being you! Then, imagine someone took a picture of you (most likely to put it on some billboard that says "Greatest Person" or something like that). Then take the expression off your face and imagine it on Ino at that moment.
"Wait, Sasuke likes Ino?" Naruto demanded, looking troubled by the news, which I totally didn't get, since he's a guy. (1)
"Yes, you heard him," Ino said, fluffing up her ponytail. "Isn't it great?"
I stared at Sasuke intently, since he was too busy staring off in the distance to notice us gossiping and giggling about him and Ino.
Could he really like that girl? I thought, staring at him all the while. How could he?
Sasuke turned to walk away and met my glance. Blushing scarlet, I leapt away, muttering something about how I'd be completely and utterly late.
"Sakura!" a voice was calling. I turned and saw Tenten sprinting over. "Hey," she repeated, walking next to me. "That was fun, huh?"
I shrugged and mumbled something.
"Wasn't that crazy about Ino and Sasuke?" she asked with a chuckle. "I have to say, I'm pretty shocked about it myself. He's never paid any attention to her before."
I looked up at her. "Really?" I asked eagerly.
"Yeah," Tenten confirmed. "But then again, he ignores all of the girls. Have you ever tried having a conversation with him? I swear it's like talking to a brick wall!"
"Yeah," I mumbled. Sure, he may have broken my heart and all, but I was not going to trash-talk my beloved Sasuke. After all, if I was going to get him away from Ino, I had to be nice to him.
"Hey, I'm heading to Ninjutsu," Tenten said, changing the subject. "What about you?" After checking my schedule, it was confirmed that I had Ninjutsu as well. "Cool!" Tenten said.
We headed over, with Tenten amiably chatting and me nodding quietly. "Um...is Ino in that class?" I asked timidly.
"No," Tenten said. "But Sasuke is." My heart started doing flips. "A lot of other girls try to flirt with him. It's kind of funny." My heart immediately stopped jumping.
"Really?" I asked with disappointment.
"Yeah," Tenten said. "I don't know why, though, since he never bothers talking to anyone. Well, here we are."
We walked into a large classroom. As Tenten had told me, Sasuke was sitting in the back, completely surrounded by girls scooting their desks as close as possible to his. I craned my neck, searching for a nearby seat. Aha! There was an empty desk right next to him.
"Yes!" I cheered to myself.
"Don't bet on it," a nearby voice said. I turned to see a red-haired girl smirking at me, her body turned towards the empty chair in Sasuke's vicinity.
"Sorry," I said with a smile, and bolted to the seat. The redhead did the same, but she was attempting to trip me up, while I was concentrating on the race itself.
"I'm getting that seat!" she snarled at me, reaching out to grab my hair. I jumped away from her and crashed into the desk itself.
"Come on, Misemono!" one of the seated girls crowed. "Hurry, hurry!"
"Oh for crying out loud," I grumbled, collapsing into the seat.
"Ahaaaaaaaaa!" Misemono squealed, grabbing the back of the chair and plopping down onto said chair. Or rather, onto what was seated in said chair. "Why hello, Sasuke," she giggled.
"Erm..." I mumbled, trying to draw her attention to the fact that I was underneath her.
"How are you?" she cooed, either unaware of my presence or just ignoring me. "It's so nice outside, isn't it?"
Sasuke nodded curtly.
"It's so beautiful!" Misemono squealed, her eyes shining. "Isn't it wonderful?"
Sasuke stared at her. "I think you're sitting on someone," he muttered, not even glancing in my direction.
"What?" Misemono asked, looking around. Right as she was about to say something, our white-haired teacher walked into the room.
"All right, settle down," he said, sitting at his desk. "You two," he said, pointing at Misemono and me, "what are you doing?"
Misemono fluttered her eyelashes. "I was sitting here first, and then this girl tried to steal my chair!" she cried, placing her hand over her heart. The girls nearby tittered in agreement.
"Really?" he asked, sounding skeptical. "Tell me, how did you manage to sit underneath her?" I heard some chuckles coming from Naruto and Lee.
"Me?" I asked. The teacher nodded slowly. "Um, I didn't."
"That's what I thought," he said dismissively. "Misemono, please move."
"What?" Misemono snarled. "Kakashi-sensei, this is super stupid! She used ninjutsu to transport herself to the chair right as I was sitting down!"
I heard a strangled sound to my left and saw Sasuke smothering a snort. Naruto and Lee, however, let loose and laughed so hard I thought their stomachs would explode.
"What an idiot!" I heard Naruto gasp out between laughs.
"Her lies lack youth!" Lee giggled, tears pouring out of his round eyes.
"Mm-hm," Kakashi said, not looking very believing. "Are you aware that she is a new student and has had no instruction in ninjutsu?"
"...um..." Misemono mumbled, fiddling with her headband. "...maybe?"
"Just get off her," Kakashi said. "Now."
"Fine!" Misemono snapped, striding over to her friends in a huff. "This is so unfair," I heard her mumble to them. "Why does the new girl get Sasuke?"
"Well, that was interesting," Kakashi said, ignoring Misemono's dark mumblings. "Now then, let's get onto our first project of the year. You are going to work in teams of three to create a jutsu of your very own. The key is to invent one that you think will help the Hidden Leaf Village. Then you will present your jutsu to the class. Any questions?"
Misemono raised her hand. "Can we pick our teams?"
"No," Kakashi said bluntly. "I already selected them." Ignoring our whining and fussing, he grabbed a sheet of paper from the mess on his desk. "Our first group is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Misemono Koushou."
I had grinned when my name was announced after Sasuke's, but the grin dropped onto the dirt-smeared floor when I found out Misemono would be working with us. I glanced over at Tenten, silently begging for help.
"Sorry!" she mouthed, looking sympathetic. I couldn't believe this stupid coincidence. First I had gotten Sasuke and that creepy Gaara kid, and now Sasuke and Misemono? What was next? Sasuke and Neji? Sasuke and Ino? Was it too much to ask that I get normal people, like Tenten or Kiba? Apparently.
"So, got any ideas?" I asked sunnily, forcing myself to smile sweetly at Sasuke and Misemono.
Sasuke simply stared at me. I stared into his onyx eyes. Oh, sweet Sasuke, I thought to myself. How could you fall for that demon child Ino?
"...well?" Sasuke asked. After a few seconds, he raised his eyebrows. "Are you okay?"
I blinked. "What?"
"Did you hear me?" he asked, looking irritated. I flinched. Great. Now I felt like an idiot!
"Er...no," I confessed, pulling on a strand of my hair. Misemono snorted.
As Sasuke repeated his pitch, I did my best to pay attention, giving him the old "nod and smile" act. Truth was, I had no idea what we were doing. And judging by how wide Misemono's eyes looked, I guessed that she didn't either.
-:-
Somehow, I had survived that torturous class, with Misemono giving me the cold shoulder and Sasuke speaking as little as possible. Then we had dinner, which was actually quite delicious. Then we retreated to our rooms, where I wrote letters to my friends as Ino concentrated on curling her hair.
"If you want to wash out all that syrup, you can go ahead," she said, not looking away from the mirror.
"Really?" I asked. With all of the primping Ino was doing, I half-expected her to take an hour-long soak in the tub, scented oils and all.
"Yeah, I showered after dinner," she replied.
"Are you going somewhere?" I asked, glancing at her perfectly lined eyes and flawless hair.
"Yeah, Kiba's having a party," she said. Noticing my expression, she quickly morphed into Kind Miss Ino. "Oh, don't feel bad," she cooed. "I'm sure he would've invited you, but he's been planning this party for ages, and you came too late to join in." When she finished fixing her hair, she patted me on the shoulder. "Maybe next time!"
I watched, seething, as she walked into the closet and came out holding several gorgeous dresses. After what felt like an eternity, she finally narrowed it down to two dresses. The first one was a black halter dress, with a few ribbons attempting to tie the plunging back together. The skirt was asymmetrical, its longest point at her knees.
"Okay, should I wear this one, or the purple one?" she asked. "The purple one" was quite different from this slinky number, it having thin straps and a baby-doll silhouette, in addition to glitter along the hemline.
"...the purple one," I told her. That black dress was just asking for trouble. You combine a halter neckline with a low back, and then only use a few dinky strings to hold it together?
"Really?" Ino asked, only sounding mildly interested. She turned around to examine her backside in the mirror. "I think I like this one."
"Okay," I said, glancing in her direction. "So, have fun tonight."
"I will," Ino said slyly. "Hey, can you toss me my key?" I grabbed Ino's gold-plated room key and chucked it at her. She caught it with one hand. "Thanks. I'll try not to wake you up when I get back. Bye!" She blew me a kiss and shut the door.
Yes! I wanted to cry. I was finally free of Ino! Free to shower, and use her fancy shampoos and soaps without her attacking me for it!
I danced to the bathtub, turning on the hot water and filling it with sudsy bubbles.
As the water filled the tub, self-doubt filled my brain. My mom would probably write me a letter asking all about my new friends, and no doubt she would ask me if there were any cute boys. Here I was, my first Friday night at a new school, and I was taking a bubble bath while everyone else I knew was partying in a boy's room.
My eyes widened. What if Ino was kissing Sasuke right this minute?
-:-
Ino knocked on Kiba's door elegantly, though inside she was excited. She was finally going to a gathering where Sasuke was in attendance, and Sakura wouldn't be there! As she waited for the door to open, she fixed her meticulously done hair and retied her dress.
"Hey!" she said happily as Kiba opened the door. She walked into the room he was sharing with Shino and dropped her jacket on the bed.
"Hey, Ino," Shikamaru drawled from his perch on the balcony. Ino put on a "Queen of the World" smile and sunnily waved at him.
"Kiba, has Sasuke showed up yet?" she asked, sweeping the room with her gaze. Kiba shook his head. "Damn. I guess I'll go outside."
Ino walked onto the balcony. "What's up, Shikamaru?" she asked, tossing her hair over her bare shoulders.
"Not much," he sighed. "Hey, aren't you freezing? It's fifty-two degrees outside."
Ino was about to declare that she was fine, but a wind swept through the balcony, chilling her to the bone. "Um, yeah, I'm really cold."
Shikamaru took off his jacket. "Here, you can wear this."
Ino gratefully took the jacket. It was an ugly shade of gray, and it was short-sleeved, but it was a great opportunity. She was wearing a guy's jacket!
-:-
Temari walked in.
"Hey, Temari," Kiba said, tossing her jacket onto the bed. "You look great."
Temari did look much better than usual. Her hair had been let down, tumbling effortlessly to her shoulders. She'd also exchanged her athletic attire for a maroon strapless dress that tapered at her waist and then fell to her knees.
Temari ignored him. "Is Shikamaru here yet?"
"Yeah, he's out on the balcony," Kiba explained. "You can go out if you want to."
"Thanks, I will," Temari said briskly, walking out to the balcony. "Shikamaru, you here?" She walked further onto the balcony and froze. Shikamaru was leaning against the railing, with only his pants and that fishnet shirt on. When she glanced to the left, she saw Ino facing him, wearing a black dress and Shikamaru's jacket.
-:-
I climbed out of the bathtub, encased in a fuzzy white bathrobe, with a soft pink towel around my head. I felt better than I had in days. I was nice and clean, and I had a room to myself!
Still wet, I changed into a pair of pink pajamas and settled down in bed. It wasn't until I eyed the dresser that I realized what I could do. Within seconds, I was rifling through Ino's trunk until I pulled out the purple book that held all secrets—her diary.
-:-
"Did someone say my name?" Shikamaru asked, turning around. "Oh, hey Temari."
The grin dropped off of Ino's face. Why was Temari here?
"Hey, Shikamaru," Temari replied, standing on his other side. "When did you blow in?"
Shikamaru glanced around. "I...have to use the bathroom." He left Ino and Temari facing each other.
"Temari," Ino said solemnly.
"Ino," Temari countered. "Why do you like Shikamaru?"
"What?" Ino snapped. "I don't!"
"Oh, so you're wearing his jacket and leaning towards him for no reason?" Temari scoffed. "Just admit it!"
Ino stared into Temari's stony face and got a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
-:-
Sakura flipped open Ino's diary eagerly. The secrets! The confessions!
Dear Diary,
My old roommate Riza got transferred out of the school. I'm glad. She was a nut-job. They say I'll get a roommate whenever a new girl comes. Whatever.
Anyway, Sasuke looked at me today! I was staring at him during Taijutsu, and then he turned around and our eyes met!
The rest of the entry was lovesick babble, so I flipped the page.
Dear Diary,
I met my new roommate today. Her name's Sakura Haruno. She seems so trusting. I almost feel bad about putting syrup in her shampoo, but I had to. Diary, she also likes Sasuke! And come on, it's not like I could come right out and admit that I'm intimidated by her. Her hair is pink! And she's got these adorable mint-colored eyes that look so cute and innocent.
I froze. Ino was afraid of me? Someone as gorgeous as Ino was intimidated by someone like me, with a giant forehead? I almost began to like Ino again.
-:-
"Why can't you just back off?" Temari snapped. "He doesn't even like you!"
"Yes he does!" Ino snarled. "Why else would he give me his jacket?"
Temari smirked. "Oh, so that's how you want to play it?" She reached into the waistband of her dress and pulled out two shuriken (2). "Then let the match begin!"
-:-
I turned to the last page of Ino's diary.
Dear Diary,
Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! Sasuke likes me! Can you believe it? Sasuke Uchiha likes me, Ino Yamanaka! Not Sakura, but me!
I rolled my eyes.
-:-
"Hey, let's not get hasty," Ino snapped, dodging the shuriken Temari was chucking at her.
Temari snorted as she continued throwing shuriken at Ino. One hit Ino in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Ino pressed her hand to her shoulder and started rubbing it.
"Get ready, Ino," Temari laughed. "That was only the beginning."
-:-
I sat back in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wondered if Ino was having fun. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. As I contemplated crashing the party (I would change out of my pajamas, of course), there was a knock. I figured it was Ino. She probably lost her room key.
"Coming!" I called out. I opened the door. "Hey, how was the part—" I stopped. Ino wasn't at my door. It was Shikamaru!
"It was a drag," he replied.
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Ino's still at the party."
Shikamaru sighed. "That's the thing."
"What?" I snapped. "Did the party end a long time ago? Is she still there?"
Shikamaru let out an even louder sigh. "Can you just listen to me for a second?" I shut up. "I was just talking with Ino, and then Temari showed up. And when I looked out on the balcony, they were fighting."
I stared at him with wide eyes. "Fighting as in...?"
"As in Temari throwing shuriken at her," he defined.
"Then why didn't you stop her?" I exploded.
"Temari would kill me," he grunted.
"So you want me to go in there and get killed trying to save Ino?" I demanded.
Shikamaru shrugged. "Basically, yeah. And you might want to bring some sort of weapon. Bye." He shut the door.
I plopped back onto my bed and stared at the door. Why should I save Ino? If I recall, yesterday this would have been a dream come true. No more Ino.
Then my mind flashed back to her diary. ...I'm intimidated by her. Ino didn't hate me. She actually had some sort of twisted respect for me, in a way. And if I saved her butt from Temari, she might actually owe me.
I threw on the first pair of pants and first jacket I touched. I dropped a key in my pocket, while the other pocket contained several shuriken, along with one kunai.
I marched out the door and strode stiffly along the hall until I reached Kiba's room. It wasn't very hard to identify. Light was spilling out from the door, and loud music was blasting. I knocked.
Kiba opened the door, looking weirded out. "Um, Sakura, I, um..."
I put up a hand. "Save it. Where's Ino?"
"On the balcony, but—"
"Thanks." I marched past him and opened the balcony door.
"Is that all you can do?" cackled Temari. "I could do that while blindfolded!" I heard Ino groan in the background. I hesitated. Ino seemed very strong to me. If Temari could do that to Ino, I could only imagine what she'd do to me.
I swallowed and reminded myself that I was here to save Ino. Fingers trembling something fierce, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my kunai.
"You're done, Ino," laughed Temari as she picked up a shuriken and hurled it. I swallowed and threw the kunai.
The kunai collided with the shuriken and sent it skittering harmlessly onto the floor of the balcony.
"End of the line, Temari," I snapped.
-:-
Note: Oh my gosh, what the crap did I just write? This may be the worst thing I've ever written! It's twice as long as my usual stuff, it's cheesy, it's cliché, and it's absolutely horrible! Not only did I make a dumb cliffhanger, everyone is OOC, and I switched perspectives randomly! And (gasp) I'm going to have to write a FIGHT SCENE! (hides)
(1) Hehe. Just a little hint of NaruSasu. There was actually no meaning in that. I just got bored and put that in.: D
(2) I know Temari fights with a fan, but let's be honest, how many dresses can hide a fan? Maybe that Versace gown that Penelope Cruz wore to last year's Academy Awards, but I figured it would be a little much for Temari.