5,731 words! Whew… and that's only part one… o.o at least I'm making progress! Gomen'nasai for the wait, seriously… that felt like way too long to type this chapter—which, the party is going to be broken into two parts. So chapter ten will go against the usual code of the next day, just so nobody gets confused… anyways, enjoy! :]

oooo

":ATTENTION. ALL STUDENTS!:"

Karin's voice reverberated off the walls as she spoke through the intercom early in the morning. Sakura groaned, pulling her pillow over her ears. What is it, a fire? She complained within her mind, wanting the annoyance to end.

":THE FORMAL PARTY AT THE HYUGA ESTATE WILL BE HELD TODAY IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE ARE NO CLASSES TODAY. ENTRANCE IN THE SCHOOL ROOMS IS PROHIBITED DURING THIS TIME, WE EXPECT YOUR COOPERATION. THANK YOU, AND BE READY BY FOUR O'CLOCK:"

No classes? Then why did you wake me up?! Sakura groaned, throwing her pillow at the intercom grumpily. "How'm I supposed to go back to sleep…?" She mumbled aloud lazily. Turning over to her clock she saw the time: four fifty. They must be telling everyone early because they're going to set up or something… Sakura mused, now feeling more awake. She frowned when she realized that that meant that Sasuke wouldn't be around at the college—meaning: no protector.

"Oh no…" she mumbled, swallowing a growing lump in her throat. Shaking her head, Sakura decided that maybe she should just stay in her room until four—of course, she still didn't have a ride to actually get over to the Hyuga Estate. She giggled to herself as she imagined herself trudging down the highways of Konoha just to get to a party she didn't feel like going to.

Right before Sakura was going to get in her morning shower, there was a knock on her dorm room door. She turned and looked out the peep hole to see who also decided to stay up: Tenten. She grinned, seeing as Ino, Hinata, and Temari were nowhere beside her. Sakura opened the door and greeted her: "Hey what's up?"

"Oh my gosh, Ms. Karin has the loudest voice I'm not even kidding… I can't go back to sleep," Tenten frowned and followed it up with a quick giggle. Sakura welcomed her into her room and sat on her still unmade bed. "Wow, you're really neat all by yourself…" she scanned the room with observant auburn eyes. Sakura blushed, embarrassed from the compliment.

"Oh, um… thanks…" she mumbled while swinging her arms beside her awkwardly. She wasn't used to speaking to people aside from Sasuke nowadays; all her other friends had moved away and it had been years since she spoke with them. "So, um… how's Neji?" She finally found a bit of social ability and asked a question. Tenten giggled, noticing Sakura's awkward behavior.

"He's great—but you knew that. I want to know how Professor Uchiha is!" She giggled teasingly, settling herself across from Sakura on the bed. Sakura blushed profusely.

"I—it's not like that!" Tenten just laughed at her and shook her head.

"C'mon, it's not a bad thing; the truth is, Professor Uchiha—before he came to this school—wouldn't talk to anyone," Tenten said solemnly in a hushed tone. "Seriously, like, not even Professor Hatake! And the Hatake were his caretakers! Something must have like, happened in his family or something because they moved to Tokyo too." She frowned, unable to expand on her story. Sakura, however, knew. She knew why Sasuke had been so bitter, and to her, that was enough justification to hate the world he was surrounded in. After all, no one had wanted him in it anyways, had they?

"Professor Uchiha is probably the nicest man I've ever met…" Sakura mused, looking up at Tenten with a smile. "He's special to me—I guess I can't really truthfully deny that I have feelings for him, but it always feels so wrongly right." She frowned, breathing out a sigh of confusion.

"That's totally normal!" Tenten giggled. "Do you think that Neji was always like he is? He and I are pretty much 'first-time-everythings' with each other. First kiss, first boyfriend or girlfriend, first love—everything! So… it felt pretty awkward to be around him—not to mention he's a part of the third richest family in Konoha," she added.

Sakura and Tenten continued on about current and past awkward relations. It felt to Sakura as if she had known Tenten for years. They just clicked immediately and could share their troubles, their likes and dislikes—Sakura had no idea how this girl could've even been friends with Ino in the first place!

Time went by, and Tenten eventually ventured back to her room, promising to meet up with Sakura at the party. After the friend departed, Sakura began the organization of her room and hopped in the shower soon after. As she washed through her mane of pink hair, she allowed her mind to wander to possible circumstances at the party: I don't even know how I'm going to get there, for starters… a frown spread across her lips. And when I do get there, what am I supposed to do? Sasuke will more than likely be busy, and I want to give Neji and Tenten time to be alone… A sigh eased out of her rosy lips as she washed the fragrant shampoo out from her hair.

Once completing her shower, Sakura stepped out and began to dress herself when the intercom went off again: ":HARUNO SAKURA, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE RECEPTIONISTS OFFICE. THANK YOU:" What could they possibly want from me? She wondered as she quickened her pace in dressing. Once in simple jeans and a T-shirt, Sakura made her way to the receptionists office with hast. She still had things to do in her dorm room and didn't want to get behind schedule—after all, she was going out to the party later on. If I can find a ride… she lamented.

Lightly, she tapped the receptionist's door with her knuckles and awaited a response. "If that's Haruno, come in," came the curt answer. Even if Karin was adopted, Sakura considered the answer very Uchiha-like. When she entered the room, she saw Sasuke Uchiha was still at the college, unlike she thought. I thought he was going to help set up! I would've dressed in something better than this if I knew he would be here! She blushed, embarrassed over her appearance. "Professor Uchiha wanted to speak to you, but I'm the only allowed to use the intercom," Karin explained, rolling her eyes at who she considered to be her obnoxious cousin.

"Ms. Haruno, do you have a ride yet?" Sasuke questioned immediately, skipping any sort of introductions they may have went through. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I don't… I was actually wondering how I was supposed to get there when I woke up," she shrugged. Maybe the college would be providing rides to get to the Hyuga Estate?

"I'll give you a ride—meet me outside at four in the afternoon; there will be a limousine out there." Sakura suppressed a smile, trying to hide her overabundance of excitement over her professor's statement. He was going to drive her over to the party? This would be even more like a date than Saturday was. "If I'm not out there," he continued, handing her a small piece of paper. "Call this number." Sakura took the scrap of paper and nodded, examining the written phone number with her observant eyes.

"Thank you so much, Professor Uchiha," she turned her attention and looked up at him with a full smile. He smiled back, only briefly, and then looked over to Karin.

"I'm leaving now. Take care of all the whatnot in my room for me, will you?" He waved as he walked out. Karin huffed and rolled her eyes, giving her glasses a slight push back into place. Sakura heard her mumble something about his mess-of-a-room before she slipped out of the room and headed back to her dorm room.

She travelled carefully, not sure who was and who wasn't awake at the present time. She didn't want to run into Ino—especially because she knew for a fact Professor Uchiha was leaving and all the other professors were as well. And seeing as Karin was cooped up in her office, no one would be around to reprimand the students. That must be one of the reasons we're not allowed to lock ourselves in the schoolrooms… Sakura concluded in her mind.

Arriving back to her dorm room, Sakura began to pick up books and clothing she had left strewn on the floor after her encounter with Sasuke in front of her dorm room. Her face heated with a profuse blush as she remembered the embarrassment that she put herself through. It's getting harder to control my mind! She rebuked herself with a frown. She recalled his facial expression and her frown saddened into something less upsetting, but more pitiful. He didn't sound like he wanted to—not that I meant for that to come out but… I guess I didn't really want him to tackle me but he could've looked at least a little happy… She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. Why should he be happy anyways? It was a weird situation, and if he was happy, wouldn't that make him a sort of pervert?

Then I told him to dance with me at the party… She sat on her bed and cupped her face in her palms. She had slammed the door in his face before he could answer—or even give a facial expression. She sighed. I was freaking out way too much… I hope I didn't hurt him or anything by slamming that door… The very thought of saddening the placid Uchiha stabbed at Sakura's heart; so she affirmed in her mind that she would make sure to apologize for doing so when they met up again later in the day.

Once she completed cleaning her room, Sakura sprawled out on her bed again and set her alarm for later in the day. It was still so early, and she might as well take advantage of the day off and get more sleep. The party would be exhausting—that's what she preparing herself for. There would be rich people everywhere. There wouldn't be a spot where she could just seclude herself. The safest place she would be was either with Tenten or Sasuke—and not even Tenten so much so considering her friendship with Ino.

Sakura buried her face in her pillow and groaned. I wonder how long the drive with Sasuke will even be… Scenes of her and Sasuke together in the limousine for hours and hours brought a smile to Sakura's face. They would have plenty of time to talk, and… touch. Stop. It. Sakura! She screamed at herself inwardly and tossed herself on her other side, as if it would change her train of thought.

Her mind wandered as she realized that he would be driving her back to the college as well as to the Hyuga Estate. That would be even more time to spend with him. How will I be able to control myself with that much time?! She whined in her head, rebuking her lack of self control severely. "Maybe he'll be drunk and just fall out and sleep…" she mumbled, hoping that a sleeping Sasuke wouldn't have the same overwhelming charm as the awake one.

oooo

A faded ringing sound resonated across the walls and in the ear of the sleeping pinkette. It began to get louder and louder as her awakening began, and she smacked her hand on the snooze button before it could get to its peak of the obnoxious tone. Sitting up, she rubbed her tired eyes of their sleep and glanced around her room. Empty. Lonely. Saddening. It's terrible being like this… she frowned and hugged her arms closer to herself, wishing she could hold onto another in her time of loneliness.

A thick air of depression came over Sakura as she recalled events of her life. Her entire life: alone. "Daddy's going to go check on mommy at the hospital, okay?" Her father would say before he took off for hours and hours of the day. All those hours in vain, for mommy had died in that hospital bed. "Daddy's going to go find work, okay?" He would say again and again, until one day, he didn't come home. He had been sacrificing everything for her: he had given her any food that he had scrapped up from the outside. "Don't worry, daddy ate already, Sakura" he would lie. Sakura lived in her naivety, believing that she would have him by her side forever, until a different man came home: the man that told her that her father had died on the streets.

Sakura sobbed into her hands, desperately searching within the depths of her mind for some sort of a happy memory. Something that could lighten the weight of her depression that had come over her must be somewhere deep within her mind:

"Haru! C'mon toss the Frisbee!" I giggled, waving my ready hand to my brunette friend. She was so shy and timid, but I couldn't let that fool me: she had one heck of a throw. She nodded and her tied back hair bounced in turn. The Frisbee glided throughout the air, and I barely jumped in time to catch it.

However, I fell back and landed on my bottom. "Ow!" I whined. It really did hurt. Haru laughed at me and offered her hand to help me up, and I gladly accepted the offer, laughing all the while at my clumsy behavior.

When I got up, we returned to our positions. Confidently, I tossed my best throw of the day. We both watched in awe as the Frisbee glided throughout the air. In fact, we were both so amazed by the throw that Haru forgot it was her turn to catch it and it hit a man right on the head! We both gasped and hushed each other, trying to keep our voices down so he wouldn't know it was us.

It didn't work. He looked straight over at us, seeming to examine our faces. Now that I saw his face, I supposed he wasn't a man after all. He looked kind of like an older brother really. I supposed his temper was probably a lot worse if he was younger, and I swallowed hard. What would he do to me and Haru? It really was an accident!

Before I could comprehend what was going on, Haru shoved me forward, quickly whispering a "Go apologize, quick!" in my ear before she pulled away from me. I stood there, in front of him, not speaking a word. I couldn't—I had tried to apologize about a million times at this point, but the simple placidity in his face froze me: I couldn't move or talk or anything.

He got down on one knee, the Frisbee in his hand. I thought he was going to return the favor to me for hitting him upside the head, but he just tapped it on my chin very lightly. He had such a gentlemanly, delicate touch. "You dropped something," he said simply, a sweet tone in his voice. I grinned. Suddenly, he had just become a lot more appealing to me. Quickly, before I could change my mind about the dashing boy before me, I gave him my thanks and tapped a light kiss on his welcoming cheek. Then I strode off victoriously—I had just had my first kiss! … Kind of.

Sakura's eyes widened, her tears beginning to dry over the memory. That boy—that man: he looked familiar. She thought hard, trying to remember all the intricacies of his handsome face. She couldn't pinpoint anything no matter how hard she thought. Who was that guy?! She strained her mind. "Did you have a brunette friend when you were about… ten?" Sasuke's voice reverberated in her mind and before she could even let out a gasp of astonishment, her alarm went off again.

"Ah!" She screeched in surprise, and soon remembered she had forgotten to turn it off after pressing the snooze button. After taking care of the annoyance, Sakura thought about what she had just remembered. If Professor Uchiha even asked about that, and that guy seems so familiar… was that him? She swallowed hard and pulled her blanket up to her shoulders. That would explain why Professor Uchiha was acting so hesitant around her that day. He was probably seventeen or so around that time… she noted, fiddling with the blanket between her fingers.

Thinking about how far apart in age they were always put Sakura into a hesitant state. It reminded her of how she shouldn't be thinking about her professor in the way that she did at all. It reminded her that something about their current relationship was almost… forbidden in so many ways. A protector was never to be intimate with the one he was protecting, and yet they had kissed. A professor was never to touch his student, and yet they had touched. A friend was supposed to be there to comfort and help you, not to be someone you have sex daydreams about.

What am I doing? Sakura frowned as she thought over everything taking its course throughout her mind. She paused, however, and looked at it from Sasuke's side: he was doing the same thing, wasn't he? Well, maybe not the sex daydreams… She corrected; but he had kissed her too. And he had also hugged her and held her hand—it's not as though she was pushing herself onto him. They had a silent agreement with each other that no matter how the circumstances were, they wouldn't betray their feelings. That's what Sakura had concluded from each of their actions.

Now feeling better about the situation, Sakura looked over to her clock: one forty nine. He'll be down there by four, so I should start getting ready. She mused as she slipped out of bed. After rummaging through her closet, Sakura found the red dress that Sasuke had purchased for her neatly hung up. She smiled: it really was a beautiful piece of clothing.

As she dressed herself into the fitted dress, she wondered about how she would do her hair, but something else hit her as she looked down at the length of the dress. Oh gosh it's long! She realized, remembering that all this time she had been dancing in gym shorts. How was she supposed to dance in an actual dress? I guess I'll have Sasuke leading me, but didn't he say he didn't dance? Maybe he was just grumpy… she mused as she glided her hands across the smooth, crimson material, flatting it along her body.

She twirled in front of the mirror, happy with the way she looked even before doing her hair. I shouldn't go too crazy… I don't want to get out of my comfort zone… She frowned, realizing that she might look like an entirely different person if she got too deep into the rich zone and crowd that she would soon be surrounded by.

Sakura spun a strand of her hair around on her delicate finger as she thought. Should I leave it wavy or should I straighten it? She wondered, not sure if she even wanted to leave it loose anyways. She sighed out her frustration and glared at herself in the mirror with a pout. She turned her head from side to side, deciding that loose hair did compliment the dress. I guess if I do straighten my hair, I'd probably be changing too much of myself… I think the dress is enough. She concluded self consciously. She didn't want to break out of her shell—not publically, anyways. The dress felt like enough.

By the time that Sakura was ready, it was three forty five. Contrary to what she thought, she was beautiful. Her hair hung down on her shoulders, coming down to her mid back in delicate waves. The crimson, strapless dress was fitted around her tiny body, loose in just the right places so it didn't reveal anything it shouldn't.

She took a deep breath and threw a jacket over her shoulders, knowing that by the time everyone would decide to head back, it would be a chilly night. She had planned on rushing down the stairs, but figured that the heels which she was wearing would make that plan rather dangerous. She made her descent gracefully and landed at the lobby floor, now heading outside.

"Oh my gosh, Sakura! You look gorgeous!" She turned and saw Tenten admiring her. Tenten, who was wearing teal bluish green dress, which was also strapless, had curled her hair and left it loose in its somewhat short length, pinning it back onto to keep her bangs out of her eyes. Sakura noticed there were diamond-like jewels decorating the bust of the dress. Her friend was certainly breathtaking. "Okay, so where did you get this dress? Because I totally want it!" Tenten squealed in delight, motioning for Sakura to twirl around excitedly.

Laughing, Sakura fulfilled the rich brunette's request and then answered. "I got it on Saturday—well, technically Professor Uchiha bought it for me—"

"He what?" Tenten giggled. "Tell me more about this Saturday shopping trip with Mr. Uchiha?!" Sakura broke out in a grin, but hid her face that was beginning to tint red in her embarrassment. The two of them continued on in conversation until Neji came down to drive Tenten to the Hyuga Estate. "I guess I'll see you over there, Sakura. Bye, and please be careful! We want you getting there safe," she winked as she waved. After hooking arms with Neji, Tenten walked off to get to the ballroom party.

Talking with Tenten had definitely passed the time. Sakura made her way outside. Seeing as standing in the grass with heels was proving difficult for her, she removed them and stood bare foot on the refreshing ground beneath her. Her eyes danced as she looked from here to there across the driveway, trying to see if she could spot the limo on the way over to the college.

Finally, she saw the lengthy black vehicle driving her way. The drive looked different than the one that was with Sasuke on Saturday. How many servants does he have? Sakura wondered as her mouth formed a confused "o".

Before she could think on it any longer, Sasuke stepped out of the limousine and smiled at her. He didn't say anything to her, but she could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking one thing: "Beautiful," he said aloud as he took her hand and guided her into the limousine. "It's a bit of a far drive, I apologize for that," Sasuke said formally. Sakura giggled.

"No, it's okay, really," she smiled gently.

"Your destination, master Uchiha?" The driver inquired of Sasuke.

"Where we came from, Kenji. I just had to pick her up," Sasuke explained simply. Kenji nodded and began the drive over there.

"Should I go over the speed limit again, master Uchiha?" Sakura's eyes widened. Did he just say "again"?! She looked over to Sasuke and saw him pondering. He has to think about whether to say no or not to that? She gawked.

"No, let's take our time," Sasuke stated decidedly, and Kenji complied and focused his attention on the road before him. Sakura lowered her voice to a hoarse whisper and addressed her professor.

"You were speeding on your way over here?!" When Sasuke nodded in a response, Sakura's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?! That's dangerous!" She frowned, making her concern for him known.

"I don't like being late," he shrugged, seeming to think that to be a good enough excuse. Sakura couldn't help but shake her head and laugh.

oooo

As their drive continued on, Sasuke and Sakura had subconsciously situated themselves to sit beside each other as they looked out the window. They spoke in hushed tones, pointing at different clouds and admiring the sunset. "If I could have the sky, I would get it," Sakura said. "It's almost like a painting I guess—like, a natural piece of art."

"I'll buy it for you," Sasuke said jokingly, but Sakura knew he would if it were possible. She smiled and breathed in, taking in the fragrance of his cologne as she scooted a bit closer to him. "Sasuke?" Sakura looked up at his with questioning.

"Hn?"

"I wanted to apologize for slamming the door in your face last night…" she frowned, the earlier guilt returning to her, until she saw Sasuke's lips spread out in a grin.

"I remember that; you were so nervous and awkward," he teased.

"Hey, be nice," she whined. "I'm being really sincere…!"

"I know," he chuckled lightly. "The truth is, I don't mind very much honestly. I probably would've done the same thing under those circumstances; my only concern is the dancing." Sakura swallowed hard. Was her earlier assumption that she had tried to brush away… right? Could Sasuke not dance?

"W—why?" She asked nervously, hoping with every cell in her body that he could dance. He shook his head a bit, seeming to be avoiding the question. Oh no… Sakura groaned inwardly. If he couldn't dance that meant that he couldn't lead. If he couldn't lead, that meant that she couldn't dance either!

Sasuke didn't want to admit to the reason of why the dance made him concerned. Yes, he could dance. He had unfortunately learned and hated the sport, but dancing with Sakura didn't seem like such a bad idea at this point. The only problem was, however, was the length of time in which they would be dancing: in which they would be touching. Of course, that was neglecting the current closeness they had with each other in the limousine.

"We've arrived at the Hyuga Estate, master Uchiha," Kenji announced as he drove up to the mansion. Its lavish exterior shone with elaborate, rich glory. Sakura let out an astonished "whoa" at the site before her. She had thought that the school was impressive, but this was far beyond the mall and the school combined. This was their home. Or, one of them at least. And this home of the Hyuga seemed very fit for the king-like rich people inhabiting it.

After stepping out of the limousine, Kenji opened the door for his master Uchiha, who soon came out, extending a helping hand out to the gorgeous pinkette. She gladly accepted as she could now carefully make her way out of the limo. Sakura looked around and saw the abundance of cars and limos already parked in organized lines. Most of the students are already here… She mused, her eyes wandering from here to there.

Once inside the mansion, Sakura held her mouth back from dropping in an unladylike gawk. The interior was far more lavish than the exterior! Walls were embroidered with elaborate designs, complimenting the crown molding outlining them. To Sakura, it seemed that the entire first floor of the mansion was an enormous lobby—the glimmering flooring echoed with steps from each and every individual tapping light feet on them with walking. Chandeliers hung from the large ceiling like delicate crystals.

"Wow, they really went all out this year, didn't they?" Sasuke mumbled under his breath, seeming equally impressed. Sakura looked up at him. Didn't his home look something similar to this?

"Why do they always choose the Hyuga's mansion to hold the ballroom party, professor?" He thought for a moment, his vigilant eyes still scanning his surroundings with interest.

"The Hyuga's art is in dancing. It's just something they do—their specialty, per se. From what I hear, this is their 'practice' home—where they make preparations for actual performances and such. The mansion they use is off limits to other families in Konoha." Sakura could no longer hold back her gawk. An entire mansion—for practice?! It was insane how much money these rich people had. Could they even put a number to it? And if they were the third richest family, what did the Hatake's and the Yamanaka's homes look like?!

"That's pretty amazing…" Sakura breathed, taken back by how their basic "gym" looked like. For the Hyuga, this was the place that you go just to brush up on your skills. She could only imagine what their actual performance mansion looked like. Something so lavish and elaborate was so spoiling to her, and they talked about it like it was just one of their spare mansions—mansions—that they had no other choice but to use.

Before Sakura could continue her stand-in-place action of examining the rooms before her, Sasuke tugged at her arm lightly. "Come on, you can't just stand there," he teased. Sakura nodded nervously and followed him to the entryway of the actual ballroom. She swallowed hard in attempt to calm her aggravated nerves.

She stood in front of the large doors, anticipation tightening her chest. Her grip on Sasuke's arm strengthened as she now outwardly showed her hidden behavior. Sasuke's eye twitched. "Hey, I'm not made of steel," he mumbled, prying her fingers off his arm to hold him more gently. Sakura blushed and laughed nervously.

"Oh, um, sorry about that… I'm just freaking out right now…" she stammered embarrassedly. Sasuke just smiled, clearly amused by her behavior.

"You'll be fine," he encouraged. "You're not here to impress anyone—you're here because you want to have a good time, all right? So, don't let anything ruin that for you." The pinkette nodded, taking a deep breath and facing the massive double doors with quivering lips.

"I—I'm ready," she gulped. Sasuke chuckled and pushed against one of the doors, opening the way into the ballroom. Sakura let out a short squeal of horror at the sight of all the people. They were everywhere. Students, professors, servants—every spot was filled with some sort of social status. Her emerald orbs dashed from one spot to another as she clung onto her protector, clearly horrified by all the people.

"Are you scared of crowds?" He asked, sounding confused.

"I—I don't know, I guess I am—I don't know," she shook her head nervously, leaning onto his comforting arm. Sasuke slowly guided her over to a corner at the wall, away from some of the people so that she could catch her breath.

"Take slow breaths…" he said gently, looking at her with somewhat of a concerned eye. Sakura breathed in, and then out, in, and then out until she finally regained her composure. Her face was flushed by the sudden horror she had undergone. She had never acted like that around crowds before; what was so different now? "Are you feeling okay?"

"I—I'm better now, thank you…" she mumbled, swallowing a bit. She looked around at her surroundings only a bit before Sasuke put his hand over her eyes.

"Stop, you fool; are you trying to torture yourself? Give it time…" he ordered harshly; Sakura could tell by his tone that he was concerned about her. She was concerned too, honestly. She had never acted remotely close to that around crowds—maybe it was because all these people were rich, and she was poor. Is this what Ino meant when she said that Sakura was trying to be equal with the rich?

"Sas—Professor Uchiha…?" Sakura whispered, gently brushing his hand off her eyes and looking up at him. He looked down at her with a questioning look. "Do rich people always have big parties like this?" Sasuke held back a chuckle.

"Pretty much; do you think you're ready to face the world or do you need more time?" She shook her head.

"I think I'm ready," she smiled.

oooo

"So he drove you here?" Tenten asked Sakura in a hoarse whisper. Sakura had met up with her some time after she departed from Sasuke after her sudden moment of fear. She nodded in response to Tenten's question. "Oh my gosh, that's so awesome…! Neji's talking to his dad so I've been like, all alone this entire time," she frowned. "So now you owe me juicy details of the drive over here!" She stated on a different note, giving Sakura a quick wink.

"Well, there's nothing much to tell… we watched the sunset together," she smiled, remembering sitting beside him in the limousine, enjoying the natural beauty in life. "And he said a few things…" Sakura mumbled, not wanting to get into an area that would invade Sasuke's privacy. "And we're supposed to dance together later," she grinned. Tenten squealed in delight.

"That is awesome! Ohmigosh, you'll be like, the first student to ever dance with a professor by will—and that's not a bad thing. Older guys are hot," the brunette winked mischievously. Sakura blushed profusely.

"W—well, he's definitely a nice man," she admitted, a blush still burning her cheeks.

"Tenten," Neji came up to her, a smile curving his usually frowning lips. Tenten's face beamed with excitement at the sight of him.

"Hi!" She hugged him delicately, in the sort of proper way that a rich couple probably would—that's how Sakura thought of it, but it didn't seem to bother her when it was Tenten and Neji. The Hyuga looked over to Sakura, and nodded to her in greeting.

"Shall we dance?" He held out his hand to his willing girlfriend. She smiled and took his hand, flashing a quick grin at Sakura.

"I'll see you later! Tell me how everything goes!" She smiled and walked off with Neji. Sakura leaned on the wall and looked at the crowd before her, not feeling the same horror she earlier did. Everyone is so into this ballroom thing… I'm not even sure if I should dance with Sasuke—I don't even know if he can dance for sure or not! He said he was nervous about it… she groaned inwardly as she scanned her surroundings in search of her professor.

"Ms. Haruno," Sasuke's voice came from some way off, but Sakura soon spotted him and walked up to him.

"Hi! I was just looking for you," she giggled.

"Shall we?" He held out his hand, a smile playing at his lips. Sakura grinned and lightly placed her hand within his, their fingers interlacing instinctively.

"Of course!"

oOoOo

Part one complete! I once again apologize for how long this took. I forgot to mention I also went out of state—and… not having a laptop really isn't a boon for me, so I wasn't able to work on this… Gomen'nasai. Anyways, don't forget to R&R and arigatogozaimasu for all your support!

InaGaTa