Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassination Classroom nor do I make any money from my writings.
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them and it makes me reassured that this ultimate crack pairing is one of my favorites.
- To the guest that pointed out that Ino's ability wasn't a Kekkai Genkai, I'll admit at first I was skeptical since I've always had it set in my mind that it was. It was an ability that ran in the family after all, but then I started to think more about it and what you said. I realized that you were right and that its actually a technique that's taught to the children and that they aren't born with the ability. Thank you for pointing that out and I went back and changed it so it wouldn't bother you anymore if you choose to read this story from the beginning again. I appreciate your opinion and how you didn't make a big deal out of it. Again, many thanks for that and the review. Please read and enjoy this chapter. Any reviews will be appreciated.
- To the guest that asked why Ino can't be with one of her teammates, I never actually considered to put Shikamaru or Chouji in this story. Even Team Gai will have very minor parts in it. The main reason why I don't plan on sticking Ino with one of them is because I don't think I could write those pairings. I have nothing against them, but I don't think I could do it. Sorry about that if you were looking forward to it.
On another note, I will be putting two, main love triangles in this story. Please read and enjoy.
- WARNING(S): language and slight violence
Chapter Three: An Unexpected Encounter
Blood trickled down soft skin in messy smears as the rain fell down and mixed in with it's trails. Cold eyes that seemed more dead than alive looked ahead blankly. Killing one's emotions was necessary for this type of work. Otherwise, the dead would surely rise and plague the heart with regret. It was one of the fundamentals to being a good assassin. She allowed herself to feel nothing when she took the kill, as she had done so many times before.
Blood slid down her cheek, but it wasn't her own. It was never her own. Her hair was plastered down onto her body from the weight of the heavy rain. It was washing away the sin she had just committed, but it couldn't wash away the clear evidence in her hand. The pumping organ was still slightly beating as it's owner laid sprawled on the muddy ground near her feet and to the side of her.
It had been an easy kill and though despite her tiny size, she was able to reach into the man's chest and pull out his heart. Dropping the organ on top of him, she turned her attention to the man behind her, who was very much alive and well.
The small child allowed life to return to her eyes and she smiled softly before running toward the man clad in his black attire. She stopped in front of him shortly and gazed up at his handsome features. His dark hair clung to his forehead and cheeks and his sharp eyes were locked on her, but never directly on her own eyes.
"I did it, sensei." the young girl cheered, hoping that she had pleased the man that took her in.
A nod of his dark head was his first reply, though he did not smile to show that he was proud of her. She had performed the assassination flawlessly; hiding in the shadows with her breath still and her steps silent, her eyes analyzing the target, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike, and then without the target even realizing what had happened, his heart was already in her grasp.
Sensei then turned around to the side, his gaze still on her and his voice smooth and calm as he said, "Let's get going, Megumi."
The girl closed her jade eyes and while still smiling, nodded her pink head, "Hai."
"Sakura."
Jade eyes slowly opened and a low grumbling noise sounded from her throat. The pinkette raised her head from where she had previously laid it and looked up to meet lazy, dark eyes staring back at her. Sakura immediately furrowed her brow and frowned at the silver haired man standing before her. "Kakashi."
"Don't use that dismissive tone with me." he replied, a frown of his own forming on his handsome features. Ever since coming to this world, he had to ditch that mask of his, otherwise he would constantly get concerned and judgmental glances. His pale features were bare for everyone to see, much to Naruto's amusement. The only thing Sakura hadn't been expecting when she first saw his face was the beauty mark below and to the left side of his mouth.
The female leaned back in the chair she resided in and stretched her arms above her head while closing one eye and letting out a mewl. She then leaned back forward and laid her head on the desk in front of her, folding her arms under her head. Content on going back to sleep, the pinkette closed her eyes.
"Sakura."
"Mmm." she hummed in reply and was met with an annoyed sigh.
"You do realize where you're at, right?"
"Mhmm."
Kakashi had his eyes narrowed down at the girl that was content on sleeping at the front desk of his comic store. She was in his favorite chair and she was about to knock over comics with her elbows. He usually kept the desk and counters clear, but today there were papers, books, and magazines scattered all over it in tall clusters. It figured that today of all days his former student would want to take a nap there of all places.
"Why are you here, anyway?" he asked as his eyes skimmed over toward a pair of male teenagers looking through some magazines in the comics section.
"I couldn't get any sleep back at the house." Sakura replied without opening her eyes and with her head tucked into her arms, it came out more as mumbles.
"So you came here to sleep?"
"Pretty much."
Kakashi let out another sigh before turning his attention back toward her, placing one hand on the edge of the desk and the other into his pants pocket. He wore a simple, gray, button-up shirt that was left out of his sweats. Sandals were on his feet and he looked sort of tacky, but he didn't care. Ino had asked him once to start wearing jeans so they would make him look 'cooler', but the older male had refused. Said something about them being far too tight on him and that he didn't like the way they felt.
Sakura, on the other hand, wore a spaghetti strapped, white dress that ended at her knees with white sandals. It was something simple, quick to throw on, and relatively comfortable. She would just have to worry about the wind picking up suddenly and blowing up her skirt. Well, that and rain.
"If you're having trouble getting sleep there, then why don't you just get a job, save up enough, and leave?"
The pinkette finally raised her head enough to look ahead of her with a bored and drowsy expression. "Come on, Kakashi. You know I can't do that. The school won't allow it."
The silver haired male let out a hum before he turned his attention, once again, to his customers. The store was fairly large, stacked with comic stands all the way to the back and miscellaneous merchandise and items among other stands. It was just like any other comic store, aside from the restricted section to the side within clear view of his desk. There were beads draping down from the top of the doorway so that he would hear whenever anyone went in or came out. They stopped a few inches from the floor so that nobody would trip on them, but nobody could sneak under them either. He made a point to make sure that no minors went in there.
"Besides, its not so bad." the former kunoichi mumbled. "Its mainly Sasuke. He's been so insufferable lately. I don't know what his problem is."
Kakashi wasn't surprised by this news. The Uchiha had always been of the moody sort, especially when he didn't get his way. He was probably still upset about his break up with the female before him. He should have seen it coming, though. Sasuke couldn't have expected her to stick around forever when he treated her like she didn't even matter to him. Humans needed to be needed, or else they couldn't survive. That's how it was, at least for them, and Sasuke couldn't fulfill that need within Sakura, betraying her almost at every turn. Finally, she had had enough of him and called it quits. Even if she did have lingering feelings for him, she never acted on them. Hell, she never even showed them.
She was finally letting go and moving on. Moving on to what, though. . . Kakashi had to wonder. From what he knew, the pinkette didn't have any particular goals in life. She was moving with the flows of time with no destination in mind. At least back in Konoha, she had her medical career, as well as her shinobi status. He knew that she still created new poisons out of interest and she still had her kind heart, but she never once indicated that she would make those gifts to full use in the future.
Sakura continued to stare of her into space. She could feel Kakashi's gaze on her, but she didn't care. He was probably wondering what she planned on doing with herself. Letting out a sigh, the pinkette straightened in the chair and stretched her arms above her head once again before lowering them down to her lap. Leaning back in the chair, it let out a low squeal as her back pushed back against the leather. It had wheels on the bottom of it as well and she was tempted to roll around the store and bug the customers or find a good comic to read if Kakashi wouldn't pitch a fit about her 'abusing' his chair.
Letting out another sigh and closing her eyes, she pushed herself out of the chair and stood up. Dark eyes watched her as she did so and made no attempt to stop her when she slowly made her way around the front desk. He turned his head down to where she had been previously sitting and heard the bell to the door ring, signaling that she had just walked out. Silver eyebrows furrowed and onyx eyes closed. He would admit that he was never particularly close to his female, former student, but now it felt like they had drifted apart even more.
On the rare occasions that she did visit him, it was mostly so she could escape from the others that she lived with and they barely even carried on much conversation anymore. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the girl's company, but she was much harder to read nowadays. It seemed that when everyone was separated, she had put up a barrier around her heart, going so far as to be cautious of the man that she once loved. However, that was understandable. The only ones that she seemed to trust fully were Ino and Naruto, but he knew that even they didn't know what had happened to her. Many of them wondered, but something stopped them from asking. They could all sense that if they were to ask, she wouldn't answer.
All that he could do for her, he supposed, was watch out for her.
Meanwhile, already down the street, Sakura's eyes were downcast toward the ground, her arms folded over her stomach. She was so bored. There was nothing to do. It had been almost a week since she got into a fight and she wasn't particularly looking for another one. Yet again, Sasuke had tired her out with relentless training. For a week straight, in fact. She didn't know what the hell his problem was, but he insisted on sparring matches that seemed to be more of full-out brawls instead of actual training.
She was glad that her body healed quickly and that she knew how to make healing ointments that could put others to shame. Even the cut on her cheek from that boy had healed completely after a few days and the wound on her head had healed well also. The pinkette was sure that he was the reason why she didn't feel like fighting rather than Sasuke exhausting her. It had been awhile since the female found somebody worthy of exchanging blows with. Even if he had played dirty by hitting her with the bottle, he wasn't that bad of a fighter. He had a lot of potential to be great and she couldn't help but hope that he would get better. She wanted to fight him again, but if she wasn't able to, then that would be fine.
Sakura knew that the redhead sat behind her in class, although she didn't remember his name. This was going on the third week that she hadn't been in school. The first two weeks were her suspension, then this week was their summer break. It was hot and she was bored. Her body was sore and she was exhausted. She didn't want to go home though so that left her to just walking around town.
Deciding that she might as well get something to eat if she was going to be roaming around, she stopped at a small restaurant without even bothering to look up at the name of it. All she bothered to notice was the small tables out in front with chairs surrounding them, along with the metal gate surrounding the front for protection. The bell rang when she pushed the door open and she walked in shortly before allowing the door to shut behind her.
Jade eyes glanced around the place calmly. It was a nice place, booths were aligned on walls that ran through different sections of the room. There was a kitchen to the side that had a bar attached to it so that the customers could eat there and see what was going on in the kitchen. Most of the furniture looked like some sort of leathery material and was a burgundy color. The carpet was an off-white, matching the walls, and the pinkette was surprised that no stains could be seen. There were few customers enjoying their meals at scattered tables. Lunch time had passed not long ago. These were the last ones from that crowd.
The scent of the food being made wafted toward her nose and it was then that she realized how hungry she actually was. Her stomach churned and made a growling noise. It was also then that she realized that she forgot something very important. Her wallet!
"Shit." Sakura hissed before she swiftly turned around and heard the bell chime once again, announcing that someone had walked in behind her. Unfortunately for her, her mind seemed to be all over the place that day and before she could stop herself, she stepped forward and collided with the person.
"H-hey."
"I'm so sorry." the pinkette apologized and backed up from the person she had bumped into. She wore a frown on her lips before they parted and her eyes widened in surprise. In front of her, a pair of sharp, mercury eyes were just as wide as her own. Short, red hair fell over his boyish and cute features and his own mouth was open in surprise.
Leaning back, the female pointed her index finger at his face while letting out a startled, "You!"
The redhead only blinked at her in return, getting over the initial surprise that he had run into the girl so soon during the break, even if it had been a week ago when they had fought. He was about to ask her what she was doing when she pulled her arm back slightly before shoving it back toward him. "You!" she repeated, her expression changing.
Red eyebrows narrowed slightly. "What about me?" he asked calmly, there was something about the way she was looking at him that annoyed him; expectantly.
"Buy my food for me." Sakura stated just as calmly. Okay, she would admit that it was rude to say it like that, to demand something from him. She barely knew the boy after all, but she was more interested in his reaction rather than her being rude or not.
Karma immediately arched an eyebrow and he slumped a bit in exasperation, his mouth open. "Excuse me?" He couldn't believe this. She was the one that had started the whole, short rivalry between them and now she was pointing her finger in his face and telling him to buy her food? To hell with that. Knocking her hand away with his own, he frowned deeply down at her. "Buy your own damn food."
"I would, but I left my money at home." she replied, her arm down by her side and she looked over to see an old couple standing outside of the doorway, just starting to open the door. Sakura reached forward and grabbed the sleeve of the black, long-sleeved shirt the boy wore. His eyes darted toward the contact and she began to pull him to the side. He frowned at her, but allowed it with one glance behind his shoulder. The duo moved out of the way so the couple could make their way in and then they turned toward each other once more.
Sakura had her hand back down by her side and she returned his frown when he said, "That's not my fault. You really think I'm going to pay for someone like you?"
"Oh, come on." the pinkette pouted, tilting her head slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"We haven't even introduced ourselves to each other, for one." Karma reasoned, "Two, we fought."
"So?" Sakura replied, straightening her head and reaching forward to grasp at his sleeves again. "I beat up my friends all the time."
The redhead was instantly taken aback by her statement and how casual she had said it, to the point that he barely even registered her grabbing his sleeves. "What kind of friend are you?"
"A really good one." the female stated before shaking his arms, earning the male's annoyance. "Please let me eat with you. I don't know anyone else here and I'm starving." She had her eyes closed with her brow furrowed and her words were coming out in whines. "I don't wanna go home, cause I live with an emo psycho that likes beating me up and calling it 'practice'."
"T-that's not really my problem." Karma replied, grimacing slightly. What was with this girl? Was she bipolar? Split personality? Something was definitely wrong with her.
Sakura looked up at him and ceased shaking his arms, her brow now furrowed, and her mouth set into a determined line. "I'll pay you back. You have my word."
Gold eyes blinked down at the female in thought. He supposed this would be a good chance for him to study her up close. If he was going to understand her in order to control her, then being close to her was essential. He had to know what made her tick, what her weaknesses were, what she was afraid of. Also, if he paid for her food, then she would owe him.
A smile crept onto Karma's lips and he tilted his head slightly. This might be worth it, after all. "Alright, but you'll owe me."
Sakura immediately brightened and she smiled up at the redhead. "Really?" He nodded in return and she continued to smile brightly at him before she tilted her head and closed her eyes. "Thank you."
Karma was taken aback slightly by the radiance of her smile and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt stab at him for allowing this for only personal reasons rather than out of pure generosity. He watched the pinkette turn around and head straight for a booth. Moving his feet forward, he followed after her and she sat down on one side while he sat down opposite of her.
~SCENE CHANGE~
"What does that taste like?"
Karma lowered the cup enough so that the straw slipped out of his mouth and he turned his gaze onto the female in front of him. She was giving him an expression he had yet to see on her face; pure curiosity. Her brow was furrowed and she was leaning over the table slightly. Her mouth was open and a small blush was on her cheeks. She looked very eager about something as well.
"This?" he shook the glass slightly, indicating what he was talking about.
"Yeah." the female replied, "That stuff that's in it."
"Soda?"
"Yeah." she repeated, "What does it taste like?"
Karma arched a quizzical eyebrow at her. "You've never had soda before?"
Sakura was surprised momentarily and then turned her head away. She knew that it was nothing to be embarrassed about. A lot of people never had that sort of drink before and she hadn't exactly spoiled herself on anything like that before. It was always water or juice for her. She had alcohol once, but she was a complete lightweight, almost as bad as Lee. Two light drinks and she was out.
Still though, she felt as if she should have been embarrassed. She was frowning and she knew she was blushing from the low heat in her cheeks. The late lunch had went rather well, she supposed. She couldn't help but feel sort of awkward. She could tell that they were both trying to figure each other out. What he was looking for, she didn't know, but she had been trying to find the reason behind why she hadn't thought that he was that dangerous after she got a good look at him.
Their finished plates were on the table and her own glass of water was set to the side, out of the way and forgotten. "It's alright, I guess." he replied with no hint of mockery in his tone.
Jade eyes turned toward him and she watched him put the glass down. He was leaning back in his seat with a lazy posture and his expression was lazy as well. "Its got a lot of caffeine in it, so if you're not used to it, you probably shouldn't drink it that often."
Sakura sheepishly smiled while closing her eyes. "I-I see." So basically, if she tried that right here, there was no telling what would happen or how it would affect her. She could have a fit and embarrass both of them for all she knew. It was best to wait to experiment with it, but her curiosity was still strong.
Karma kept his gaze on the female in front of him and he tried to keep his features neutral as he examined her. He had sensed no malic whatsoever during the meal. She had eaten in front of him as if he were someone that she had known a long time. Granted it had been awkward at times when they had made eye contact for extended periods of time, but they had said nothing to each other. She didn't seem at all affected by the fact that he was the one there. It had been like that before too.
His curiosity was eating at him. He had to know. "How can you be so carefree in front of me?"
Sakura lifted up her gaze from his cup to his eyes and she could practically see the wheels in his mind spinning. "What do you mean?"
Karma frowned at her before responding calmly, "I mean, doesn't the fact that it was only a week ago when we were fighting bother you?" Red eyebrows narrowed slightly and he added, "You seem to be a little too trusting to me."
The pinkette blinked at the male in front of her and there was no doubt that his eyes were criticizing her as well as his mind, but they still didn't have an effect on her. "I suppose you're right." she replied while straightening, her hands in her lap. She was fully composed and that and her reply had surprised Karma. "I do trust far too easily."
The redhead frowned in return, "That could get you into a lot of trouble."
"I know." Sakura said while looking down at her lap. Her expression turned soft as she frowned. "It isn't safe to think the way I do. I know that, but I've gotten into fights my whole life."
Karma continued to listen to the female, his mind carefully digesting every word that she said. "I fight with my friends all the time, sometimes arguments, sometimes actual brawls. We aren't afraid to step over boundaries normal people have."
A soft smile crossed her lips, her features turning gentle and she looked up at the redhead, her voice honest and sincere as she added, "I think I can trust people like that before I can trust someone that hides who they are with smiles and pretty words."
Gold eyes widened as Karma took in the girl's words, somehow being able to understand her way of thinking, but at the same time, he wasn't able to fully grasp what she was saying. He supposed they just thought way too differently.
"Besides." Sakura added before tilting her head and smiling sweetly with her eyes closed, "I don't hold grudges over fights." Jade eyes opened and her head straightened, her gaze meeting his. "If I'm gonna fight someone like I did with you, its only going to be purely for sport. Its got nothing to do with me not being able to trust you or be around you."
The male blinked at the girl in front of him, mild amazement at how simple her views were. He supposed it was admirable in a way; being able to enjoy fighting just for the fun of it and not hold any resentment or ill feelings toward someone afterward. They were similar for enjoying the thrill, but he couldn't just look the other way after he fought someone. He was constantly on guard against them. Even now.
He wasn't sure if this new revelation was going to make it harder or easier for him to tame her. Nonetheless, he learned something new about her, so that was a start.
Within only a few minutes, the redhead payed the check and the two of them made their way onto the empty street outside of the restaurant, shortly going their separate ways down the streets. Sakura stopped abruptly in her journey, forgetting something she suddenly deemed important. They were close to thirty feet away from each other, but that didn't stop her from calling out to him. "Oi!"
Karma stopped and turned when he heard her tone, his body tensing in preparation for some sort of fight. He wouldn't put it past a combative female like her to want a brawl. His eyes settled on the back of her head, his sharp eyes slightly narrowed in anticipation and his body was on full alert. The last thing he had been expecting happened and it caused an unfamiliar heat to creep into his cheeks.
Sakura had turned around swiftly with her head tilted slightly, her hair whipping around her in a mesmerizing wave, but not as attention grabbing as her expression. A bright and sweet smile adorned her lips while her eyes reflected enough light from them that would put the stars to shame. They lit up beautifully against her exotic features and without either of them realizing it, it caused Karma's breath to halt.
"What's your name?" she asked calmly as if she was just meeting someone brand new, with no hint of malice or distaste in her voice.
The redhead quickly regained himself and, nervous that his suddenly dry throat would crack, he replied softly, "Akabane Karma."
"Sakura." the pinkette replied while still smiling, her hair swaying softly behind her back, "Haruno Sakura." The female then closed her eyes and a toothy grin very similar to Naruto's formed on her mouth. "Nice to meet you."
Karma blinked and hummed in response. It was all he could manage to do while he took in her childish and carefree expression. His gold eyes then followed as she turned slightly and lifted her hand up into the air.
While waving and keeping her facial features, she called out happily, "Bye bye." before turning forward completely and walking off. The male kept watching the retreating form of the female and in more ways than one, he was relieved she was leaving. He had gained so few answers and so many more questions during this encounter.
The redhead turned and began to walk in his previous direction, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. He was glad that she was finally gone. He could tell that she was getting under his skin besides being just a rival in fighting. It was unnerving. Karma wasn't one to be tempted by physical beauty. He wasn't blind, he could tell if a woman was gorgeous or not, but normally, he just didn't care. He never bothered for a second look, but with this new girl. . . It wasn't just a second look, he eyes would stay glued to her at certain moments.
Karma would be a fool if he didn't notice her beauty and the last thing the redhead was; was a fool. He wasn't going to let it affect him to a great extent, but his small attraction toward her was bound to cause trouble for him in the future. It would've helped if had had a crush on someone before to help prepare himself mentally, but that wasn't the case. At least he could say that he hadn't fallen that far.
Karma couldn't even begin to fathom what would happen if he were to start developing feelings for that girl. . . All he knew was that it wouldn't be good. He had to keep in control of his emotions and not let that gorgeous face and beautiful smile throw him off.
He was going to tame that wild beast inside of her. That was it.
His combative nature wouldn't allow anything else to happen. Her very presence was a challenge to his being and he wouldn't settle for being equal to her. He was going to come out on top. No matter what.
~END OF CHAPTER THREE!~
I thought it would have been interesting to try something where they had to be civil with each other. It was a much shorter chapter than the previous two, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget to review. Your reviews inspire me to continue this story.