Disclaimer: I don't own any Naruto characters or Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Authors Note: "I want to thank all my lovely reviews! Arigato, you made me feel so loved! Sorry it took so long to update. I do have an excuse though! I can only do the work at my mom's house and she went away for the weekend so I was with my dad. Then I came back and just my luck that they were re-doing the kitchen so some of our power has been cut! My bad.
Summary: Two rival students, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, must share the spotlight in order to produce this years school play, Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, they hate each other more than they can bear to act, though neither is willing enough to give up the game. Can they over come their differences and discover that just maybe, there really is something hidden under all the hate? Maybe even a little romance?
Ro-may-oh and JulietTwo years later.
Sakura casually made her way down the hallway towards the drama room. It was the first drama meeting of the new school year and it was supposed to have started 10 minutes ago. But she was in no rush, Mr. Hatake, the drama teacher, was always late. She turned the corner and stopped abruptly, then backtracked back around the corner. 'Ok now that was nasty.' She thought to herself. She had just scene Sasuke Uchiha swapping spit with his bimbo of the week, and it was enough to make her sick.
She regained her posture and continued her way around the corner, stopping right next to the couple. Without looking at them she said, "You may not want to do that in public. You're contaminating the hallway with your nauseating make-out session and I really prefer not to witness it." Without waiting to here Sasuke's come back she continued on her way, knowing she had done her job when she heard the girl saying angrily to Sasuke, "You said no one comes down this hallway!" and then leave in the opposite direction.
She finally reached the drama room, and saw the other members lounging around waiting for Mr. Hatake. She walked over to where Ino and their senior friend Tenten were talking. Ino gave her a smile and shrugged her shoulders saying, "Every year's the same, we come, we wait. He's never one time." Tenten nodded. "Yeah but Kakashi is probably the coolest teacher Kona-high." They nodded impassively. Those in the drama club were used to referring to him with informality. Ino giggled, saying in a small voice, "Yeah and he's not that bad looking either…" "Ino you're sick!" Sakura said laughing and Tenten slapped her playfully on the arm. "No, I'm not kidding! He is a little weird but you gotta admit, he is a good looking guy."
Suddenly someone put an arm around Ino and Sakura and said, "Anyone I know?" Sakura slid his arm off her shoulder and Ino did the same, "Not you that's for sure Naruto." She said nonchalantly. Naruto sighed. "Still no chance for a date then I take it?" Sakura shook her head uncaringly. She'd been refusing his proposals for 2 years and wasn't planning on accepting anytime soon
The door opened and Sasuke came in, and swiftly made his way over to Sakura. He looked at her smiling haughtily and said "Thought that was pretty funny didn't you? You cost me my date."
Sakura snorted incredulously. "If you can call making-out in the hallway a date."
"For your information I've been seeing her for over a week now."
"So you've finally broken your record have you now? It's not like what I did made a difference, you would've broken up by tomorrow anyway." she said matter-of-factly.
"Which is more then I can say for you!" He retorted. "You've been seeing that Lee Rock guy for a couple months now, so while your snuggling up close together watching PG movies on the couch at home every week, I'm seein' someone new and it never gets old."
"That's hardly something I would envy." She said disgustedly. "At least I have a higher morality then you, and Lee is a great boyfriend, something you and all your past and soon-to-be girlfriends can only dream of."
Before Sasuke could reply to this though, Mr. Hatake entered the room. "Alright every one take a seat, sorry I'm late." He said. Kiba, sitting next to Naruto and Shino, a weird and mysteriously quiet guy, muttered loud enough for every one to hear. "You're always late." Mr. Hatake shrugged as though it didn't really matter, "There was a fight out by the bus port, so I couldn't just leave." Tenten spoke knowingly, "Ohh, so you were doing your duty as a teacher to stop the fight, which is why it took you so long to get here." "No," he said blankly. "I let someone else do that, but it was fun to watch." Everyone's head drooped, sighing.
"Anyway, down to business." He said taking a seat in front of them. "I've made my decision on what performance were going to be doing this year."
People sat up in their chairs, even Shikamaru, whose head had been lolling to the side in his sleep.
"I'm sure that everyone has heard of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?" He said glancing around.
A few people groaned but most seemed pretty excited about the idea. Sakura was fairly pleased about the idea of being Juliet, until, with a sudden jolt of realization…
"YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BE HER LOVER?" Sasuke shouted pointing at Sakura. Mr. Hatake sat unfazed. "If you're planning on taking the lead role, then yes."
Sakura sat there thunderstruck. She had played many counterpart roles with Sasuke over the years, but never EVER, had she played the object of his affection. She made eye contact with him and they immediately glared at each other.
"Well I'm definitely not about to give up the lead role." Sasuke said haughtily.
"And I'm not giving up the role of Juliet!" Sakura retorted.
Ino laughed saying "You two are pretty sure of yourselves. What makes you think you'll even get the parts?"
Sakura, not wanting to sound like a snobby know-it-all, just looked at her. Sasuke on the other hand, had no problem saying what they were both thinking. "Because I'm the best actor here." Ino just moved her mouth mocking his words and Hinata, who had taken a seat next to Tenten, giggled.
"Well," said Mr. Hatake, not wanting an argument to arise, "Don't let your guard down, new actors join every year." Sasuke scoffed at the idea.
Mr. Hatake was going to continue before someone else had something to complain about. Naruto spoke up in a whining voice. "Kakashi, Romeo and Juliet, is so over-played! Can't we do something to spice it up a bit?" Many nodded agreeing. "And what exactly do you have in mind Mr. Uzumaki?" Kakashi said questioningly. Naruto thought for a moment. "Hmm, how about we re-do the whole thing in, like, a ninja village or something? You know, we could fight with kunai instead of swords, and it would take place in Japan, not Italy!"
The club cracked up laughing. Leave it to Naruto to come up with a stupid idea like that!
That is until Mr. Hatake spoke up. "I like it! It's different and it will no doubt catch the audience's attention more. But we'll still speak in the Elizabethan language." "Deal!" said Naruto.
Everyone's jaw dropped. Mr. Hatake was different, but taking one of Naruto's ideas was just weird.
"Try outs will be next Wednesday, same time, same place. Now everyone come up here and get a copy of the script, and read over it a bit, see if we can't tweak it so that it's a little more like Naruto's plan."
As Sakura reached out to grab the copies, her hand bumped someone else's. She looked up to meet Sasuke's eyes, which were giving her a deadly glare. She gave him an equally deadly one and grabbed two copies, one for her and one for her boyfriend Lee, then sat back in her seat.
"How come Lee wasn't here today?" Ino asked her pink haired friend. "He had soccer practice." She responded shrugging. "Oh." Was all Ino had to say. It wasn't that she disliked Lee, aside from his big eyebrows and dorky haircut, but she just didn't think he was right for her best friend. Why Sakura had gone out with him in the first place, she'd never understand.
They spent the rest of their time revising the script, much to everyone's dismay, to fit Naruto's idea, and by the time they had to leave, it was looking pretty interesting after all.
"All right," Said Mr. Hatake as they all got ready to leave. "Tryouts will be held next Wednesday, same time and same place. I want the girls to read Juliet's soliloquy act 2, scene 5 and I want guys reading Romeo's soliloquy act 2, scene 2. Doesn't matter if that's the role your going out for or not, but if you do have a certain character in mind you'd like to be, have a few of their lines memorized. We have a couple months to make this happen, enjoy the rest of the week!" And with that he was out the door before anyone else could say their farewells.
Later that night Sakura lay on her bed, her phone pressed to her ear. Her and her senior boyfriend, Lee, had been talking for the past hour over random things that weren't really important, but they enjoyed talking about them non-the less.
Lee had been asking Sakura out all through her sophomore year, and over summer break, she had finally agreed. He was very nice and really cared for her, but Sakura didn't exactly think it was love, though she would never admit it, especially not to her enemy, Sasuke. But she did enjoyed Lee's company and had wanted a steady boyfriend, instead of the usually, 2 week pond scum.
"So, do you think I'd stand a chance at being Romeo?" he asked her.
"Eheheh." Sakura force laughed, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Uhh, maybe if you rehearse your lines a lot and say them really passionately, you know, like, try tobe Romeo."
"That's easy for you to say!" Lee said accusingly. "You're the best actress in all of Kona-high! You're one of the only people to ever get a lead role in your freshman year. Freshmen never get the leads."
"Sasuke got the lead too ya know." She pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, perfect Uchiha got the role, big deal." He said with a tone of, what was it? Jealousy?
"Lee, you aren't jealous of him are you?" She asked teasingly. Only he didn't take it that way.
"NO! I'm not jealous of that jerk, why should I be?"
"Honestly I don't know why anyone would be."
"Hey Sakura…" Lee asked timidly.
"Yeah?"
"You don't, you know, like him or anything do you?"
"WHAT?" She shouted over the phone. "WHY WOULD I LIKE AN ARROGANT ASS LIKE HIM?"
"Woah calm down, okay I get it!" Lee said laughing.
"Lee, you know I don't like him." Sakura said reassuringly.
"Heh, I know, I was just checking. Well I gotta go. I love you."
"Love ya, bye!" Sakura said hanging up.
She leaned back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. 'Love'. She thought the word was over-rated. At least in her eyes. People passed on that word until it lost its value, her included. She very highly doubted that she would continue going out with Lee until they were married, but she still spoke the word anyway. Sakura didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she did care about him. He just wasn't her Mr. Perfect.
She smiled at the thought. When would she meet her knight in shining armor? Suddenly her thoughts were disrupted. Sasuke Uchiha. She couldn't stand him! Despite his black, model styled hair and faultless face, and well-muscled body… 'STOP!' She told her thoughts, furious that they had wondered so far and astray.
No matter how good someone looks, beauty is only skin deep. Personality could defy it all. Especially Sasuke's.
Sakura looked over her script and caught an interesting part. It was spoken by Juliet act 3, scene 2, when she finds out her beloved Romeo had murdered her cousin, Tybalt.
'O serpent hear, hid with a flow'ring face!
Did ever a dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!
Dove-feathered raven! Wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
Just opposite to what thou justly seemst,
A damned saint! An honorable villain!
O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell
When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend
In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh?
Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!'
Sakura smiled to herself. The description fit Sasuke perfectly.