I've been slow on the updates.. I'M SORRY! Anyway, on to chapter 6! I tried to have more interactions with the other characters this time so it wouldn't be mainly just Sasuke+Sakura interacting.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, kapeesh?
Italics – someone is thinking.
"This looks PERFECT on you!" Sakura said excitedly as she admired Sasuke from the dressing rooms. Sasuke, on the other hand, felt like punching Sakura in the face. (As horrible as that sounded, he would never actually do it.) Three consecutive hours in the mall and they were still not done, well according to Sakura atleast. As soon as they had arrived, Sasuke wanted to leave. But to his dismay, Sakura had dragged him into about a billion stores and made him try just about everything in them. And unsurprisingly, each and every one of the outfits he tried on, he disliked. But being the persistent girl she was, Sakura had managed to find even more clothes for the Uchiha to try on.
"I don't like it." Sasuke grimly replied. Sakura gave him a look of disdain before handing him more clothes.
"Try these on then," She shoved him into the nearest dressing room and pointed a finger at his face, "And don't tell me you don't like it because that's what you say about everything." Sasuke was just about to close the door when Sakura stopped him.
"And take off your glasses and that damned beanie!" She stood there as he huffed in aggravation and closed the door. Sakura waited patiently for him to finish putting on the other clothes when someone had accidentally pushed her. Sakura stumbled towards the nearest wall but did not fall. She quickly straightened her composure and was about to badmouth whoever had pushed her but she looked up to see a smiling Tenten.
"Sakura! Hey, how're you?" Tenten greeted her happily. Sakura hugged Tenten before replying back.
"I'm doing fine! Just fine. What about you?"
"Oh me, I'm good. Just thought I should go on a shopping spree. Yes, I know. Surprising eh? But I figured, to heck with it! And so I came here!"
"Ohhhhh okay. So what'd Neji do this time?" Sakura asked with a sly grin on her face. Tenten sweat dropped and scratched her head innocently.
"It's that obvious?"
"Yah pretty much. So really, what happened between you guys?" Tenten sighed and sat down in a chair.
"Got into an argument. The usual. Ugh, he puts so much stress on me sometimes. I swear, I'm getting more gray hairs than my grandma." Sakura laughed at this and patted Tenten on the back.
"Aww, it's alright. You guys will get over it and forgive each other and make hot passionate love. I know how the drill goes." Sakura grinned cheekily as Tenten's face paled. Tenten quickly recovered and huffed in response. Sakura was about to badger her friend more about Neji but a brooding Sasuke came through the doors of the dressing room with a frown upon his face. He was wearing the clothes that Sakura had handed to him and he went to present his great dislike for the clothes to her, not realizing a surprised Tenten watching.
"Sakura, this is beyond pointless." His glasses were shoved somewhere inside a pocket and his beanie was gripped in his hands. His eyes were clearly visible, mystified onyx orbs that held a certain glint to them. His hair was unruly but it made him all the more gorgeous. Tenten widened her eyes before realization struck.
"Uchiha? Uchiha Sasuke?" She said with uncertainty. She blinked a few times making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Sasuke glanced down into the shocked face of Tenten. He snorted in annoyance. Sakura who just now noticed the Uchiha, held a confused but satisfied expression. She never realized how incredibly amazing Sasuke could look with just a little change. He looked a lot better with the clothes he had on now then with his normal clothes. Tenten inspected Sasuke's clothes curiously. He was wearing baggy yet fitted, straight, and dark blue jeans that seemed worn out. He was also wearing a white t-shirt underneath a gray lightweight hoodie accompanied by a gray suit jacket. His shoes were sporty but stylish black and white trainers. He actually looked normal and less 'nerdy' like. In fact, Tenten's eyes crinkled in amusement as she thought of how classy and spiffy he looked. All he needed was some stunner shades and the whole outfit would be complete. Sakura grinned in pride. She walked towards Sasuke and clasped a hand on his shoulder.
"Sasuke, you look amazing," She bobbed her head up and down, observing him, "And it's all because of me! Oh praise me and my wonderful work!" Sasuke glared at the pink haired girl.
"And you call me egotistical?" He muttered under his breath. Tenten walked towards Sasuke and Sakura and also placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Wait til the school gets a load of this." Tenten said with a smirk. Sasuke walked away from the two girls and placed his beanie on his head furtively.
"No one is going to get a load of anything. I am not going to school like this." He looked himself in the mirror and grunted in displeasure.
"Especially in this outfit. I look like a rich, snobby, preppy jerk off."
"But it'll make the girls go wild!" Tenten winked suggestively.
"And you fill in two of the above mentioned. So it all works out in the end." Sakura added teasingly. Sasuke cast both girls a look of distaste and went back into the dressing room. He quickly changed and returned to them, holding out the clothes. Sakura took a hold of them and smiled happily to Sasuke.
"So we'll buy this outfit and the others that you tried on and then we'll be on our merry way!" She walked out of the dressing rooms and left for the nearest cashier with Tenten and Sasuke following close behind. Sakura took out a wallet from her purse and went to pay for the clothes when an unsuspecting hand stopped her. She looked up into the impassive face of Sasuke and he handed the cashier a wad of cash. After receiving the receipt, he grabbed Sakura's hand and led her out of the store leaving Tenten to handle the bags.
"Hey! What was that for? I was going to pay!" Sakura yelled out. Sasuke ignored her and kept on walking towards who knows where. The pink-haired girl tried to get out of his grip but he was too strong.
"Atleast wait up for Tenten. You left her to carry all the bags you jerk!"
"Shut up." Sasuke replied. Sakura huffed in fury and halted to a stop. She glanced behind to see Tenten struggling with the bags.
"Okay, let GO of me and help Tenten." Sasuke obliged and let go of her. They both waited for Tenten to catch up and then helped carry the rest of the bags. Tenten wiped her forehead of any existing sweat and smiled uncertainly.
"Thanks for leaving me guys."
"Sorry! Blame it on Mr. Asshole here. He wouldn't even let me pay for his clothes and dragged me away." Said boy, hn'ed in response. Tenten chuckled and nudged Sasuke on the arm.
"I think we've found someone who's even more stubborn than you, Sakura."
"I am not stubborn!" Sakura cried out. Sasuke and Tenten stared at her with a doubtful expression.
"Hey, don't gimme that look. Besides, I think she mentioned that you were even more stubborn than me so HAH!" Sakura said, sticking her tongue out to embellish the statement.
"You're so immature." Sasuke grabbed the bags of clothes and walked in a random direction, leaving a fuming Sakura and a confused Tenten behind. It took a couple minutes before Sakura realized she didn't know where he was going. She grabbed a hold of Tenten's hand and went dashing towards the Uchiha.
"Goooood morning Sasuke! Rise and shine! Wakey wakey!" Sakura yelled out in anticipation. An exhausted Sasuke peeked above the covers to see a smiling Sakura staring expectantly at him.
"Wake up, you sleepy head! It's time for school!" Sasuke grabbed his clock and checked the time. It was 5:30 in the morning.
"School doesn't start for another two hours." He returned the clock on the dresser and pulled the covers up to his face. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.
"Sasuke! Come on!"
"No." He objected quietly. Sakura, losing her patience, pulled the covers down revealing Sasuke clad in only boxers. Once she noticed this, her cheeks formed a rosy red and she dragged the covers back up to his face.
"Uh. Ahem. Just get up, okay?" Sakura quickly turned around and fanned herself down. Wow, he has a NICE bod! Sakura's cheeks burned up more at the thought. Wait.. no I did not just say that. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! She shook her head to erase any other forming thoughts and turned back around. She didn't realize that Sasuke had already gotten up and was only centimeters away from her. Their faces were so close that she swore that he could feel the heat radiating off her face.
"Y-you're awake!" Sakura cried out, flustered. Sasuke sent her an odd look before walking towards the shower. With his back facing her, he replied nonchalantly.
"Your face is red." And he closed the door to the bathroom. Sakura slapped her forehead in stupidity. What is wrong with me?!
After waiting half an hour, Sakura heard the door to the bathroom open. She looked up from where she was currently reading a book, and watched Sasuke step out. He wasn't dressed yet and the only thing covering him was a towel below the waist. Sakura could feel her face flush red again and glued her eyes to the book she was holding.
"You should put some clothes on." She voiced out nervously. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Obviously. I wasn't planning on going to school naked." At this, Sakura covered her face with the book. Maybe she should've called first to wake him instead of sitting here, thinking about Sasuke 'exposed'. And also admiring of how good he looks with his hair all wet and his body glistening with water.
"N-no of course not."
"Hn. Do you mind?" Sasuke held his towel firmly, waiting for Sakura to get up and leave. The girl quickly got up from her sitting position and ran out of his room. As soon as she was out, she heaved a sigh of relief. That's going to be burned into my memory. She laughed at herself and made her way to his kitchen to cook some breakfast.
A sweet aroma filled the air as Sakura set two empty plates and a pitcher of orange juice onto a table. She grabbed the pan she was cooking with and emptied its contents onto the plates. Then she put down eating utensils next to the plates and two empty glasses. She smiled at a job well done and sat down to feast. From his room, Sasuke could smell cooking and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. He saw Sakura glance up at him and smile. He was wearing a gray polo with a navy blue hoodie over it. His pants were a light beige color and he was wearing his black and white trainers. His eyes held no glasses but instead, contacts. And his hair was the usual messy look but it seemed to work out fine for him.
"Tada! It's pancakes! I made it all by scratch. I hope you like!" She exclaimed. Sasuke sat down on the chair across from her and began eating. Sakura watched him eagerly and waited for an answer.
"So?"
"Hm?"
"How's it taste?"
"Uh. Ish'goohd?" Sasuke said through a mouth full of food. Sakura jumped up happily.
"Yay! Alright, so now that you've changed into the wonderful clothes I've picked out for you and you're just about done eating breakfast, we'll go on our merry to school! And surprise everyone with your oh so handsome self." Sakura winked. Sasuke swallowed the last of his pancakes and stared at her.
"I really don't want to do this, Sakura."
"Well, you're going to have to. You said you would!" Sakura insisted with pleading eyes.
"No, I said I'd think about it. YOU said I would." Sasuke stood up and took both of their plates to place them in the sink. Sakura got up from her chair and followed closely behind.
"Just do it. Maybe you'll be lucky and no one will notice you!" Sakura coaxed out. Just then a door slammed shut and a booming voice could be heard through the halls.
"Sasuke! Sakura! Where are you guys? And do I smell PANCAKES?!" Sasuke glared at Sakura who nervously held up a plate of pancakes. A hungry Naruto ran towards the kitchen.
"Yum! Pancakes!" He took the plate Sakura was holding and sat down. After a few minutes, he scarfed the whole plate and wiped his mouth.
"That was good! Sakura did you-WOAH! Sasuke! You look a helluva lot different!" Naruto screamed out in shock. Sasuke continued glaring at the pink-haired girl and whispered to her.
"They won't notice my ass." Sakura shrugged her shoulders innocently and walked towards Naruto.
"So Naruto, what do you think?"
"Where are his glasses? And his beanie? And his ugly clothes?" Sakura watched as Sasuke muttered to himself. Something about his clothes not being ugly and this was all Sakura's fault. She turned to face Naruto to explain.
"Well, we went shopping the other da-"
"Sasuke went shopping? Holy crap."
"Yes. Anyway, so we bought new clothes and then got him some conta-"
"Was it by force?"
"Uh. I guess. So we got him some contacts and fixed up his ha-"
"Did he cry? Did you blackmail him into doing it?"
"Hey dumbass. Shut up and let Sakura finish talking." Sasuke said irritated. Naruto stopped talking immediately. Sakura mouthed a thank-you to Sasuke and continued.
"So yah, we convinced him to stop wearing his ole' beanie and scruffed up his hair a bit and tada! New and improved Sasuke. But still in need of an attitude adjustment." Sakura jokingly said. Naruto nodded in approval.
"You look good Sasuke!" Said boy gave a disgusted look towards Naruto.
"Never say that again." And all three of them grabbed their belongings and walked out the door to set off for school.
They all arrived promptly at 7:10 leaving them twenty minutes before the school bell rang. All seemed relatively normal. Sakura was somewhat right; no one had noticed the 'new and improved' Sasuke yet. But it was only a matter of time before some suspecting individual would realize that this Uchiha looked completely different. And as they continued walking through the hallways of the school, one by one, eyes looked up from whatever they were doing and watched the striking appearance of one gorgeous looking Sasuke. And one pair of eyes smirked in satisfaction and walked towards the boy.
"Why hello there." A girl with long black hair and dark black eyes fluttered her eyelashes in a flirty way.
"Hn."
"And who are you, may I ask?" The girl checked out Sasuke and winked at him. Sasuke almost gagged, and would have if it weren't for the fact that he wasn't that kind of person. His face held no emotion and he glared at her silently.
"Not a conversation type of man, I see. That's alright, you won't need to do any talking once we're through." She said seductively. She went to grab Sasuke's hand when a seething Sakura slapped her hand away.
"So Kin, I'm surprised you don't recognize who you're talking to." Sakura said through clenched teeth. Kin raised an eyebrow and pierced Sakura with her stare.
"Well, I was trying to find out until you interrupted," Kin put her face close to Sakura's ear, "and you're totally ruining my game." She spat out in a hushed whisper. Sakura gave a sardonic laugh and whispered back in Kin's ear.
"You've got no game, hun." Sakura stepped back and grinned cheekily.
"By the way, the person you're trying to spit your game at is Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." And as she announced this, everyone's eyes including Kin's, widened in surprise. Kin opened her mouth but couldn't find any words to say. Sakura giggled a bit and softly pushed Kin.
"What's wrong Kin? Cat got your tongue?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. This was a complete waste of time. Way to draw attention, Sakura. All of the students surrounding Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Kin were all gossiping to each other. And after a heated glaring contest between Sakura and Kin, the news about Sasuke had gotten around the whole student body. After a few moments, Kin finally spoke up.
"Just because you gave your little boyfriend a makeover, won't change anything. He will always be a geek. That's how the system works. Remember that Sakura." Kin pushed her way out of the crowd and walked away. Meanwhile, Sakura narrowed her eyes in loath.
"That girl is such a bitch." Sakura tightened her fists. Sasuke paid no attention and grabbed an unsuspecting Sakura away from the crowd.
"Let's go." He said while grabbing Naruto along with. The three of them could feel the motion of the crowd (with the majority of them consisting of girls) following closely behind.
"What are they doing?" Sakura asked.
"Sasuke," Naruto said nervously, "I think you've got yourself a fan club."
"Damn it." Sasuke hissed. He silently counted to three and they all made a run for it.
"Saaasuukkeeeeee! We love you!"
A horde of fan girls surrounded Sasuke's desk and an agitated Sakura sat next to him. Naruto had also decided to join them, amused by the fan girls and everyone's reactions towards them. Sakura was being pushed and squished by all the girls and grabbed the arm of Sasuke to whisper in his ear.
"Why the hell do you have to look so darn attractive?" Sakura hissed. Sasuke gave a look of disdain and whispered back.
"It's not my fault I was born with good looks. Why do you think I tried hiding it my whole life? Dummy."
"Shut up. Get rid of all these girls. PLEASE. I am getting ambushed!"
"What am I supposed to do? This was your fault anyway, miss 'let's give me a make over and ruin everything'. Why don't you think of something?" Sasuke snarled back. Sakura let go of his arm and put her hands on her face. Naruto scooted up behind them and slapped them on the backs.
"Great idea, team!" He said sarcastically, as he too was getting ambushed by all the girls. Both Sasuke and Sakura turned around to glare at the blonde. The school bell rang signaling the start of class and unsurprisingly Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. So as long as he wasn't in the classroom, all the fan girls were staying put.
"Sasuke! Do you have a girlfriend?"
"You are so hot!"
"Go out with me!"
"I don't care if you're a geek, I love you!"
"Please sit with me at lunch, Sasuke!" All the girls screamed out. Sasuke sat there, waiting impatiently for Kakashi to arrive and devising a plan to pay back Sakura for this horrible torture. On the other side of the classroom Neji, Tenten, and Ino sat there watching interestedly. Ino could still not believe that that was the same Sasuke she had made fun of not so long ago. He was absolutely gorgeous. How did this happen?
"Told you Neji! You owe me." Tenten announced happily. Neji smirked in amusement and handed Tenten 20 bucks.
"Guess you were right. The Uchiha doesn't look half bad." As he said this, Neji saw Tenten's eyes sparkle in amusement.
"That's not what I meant. I'm not gay." He said offhandedly. Tenten chuckled loudly.
"I know you're not." She rubbed his head affectionately. Ino rolled her eyes.
"Oh my gosh, don't start. Do you see what's happening? This is not good!" She yelled out. Tenten's face scrunched up in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"This is wrong!" Ino said while pointing to the Uchiha and the fan girls. Neji closed his eyes in annoyance.
"Ino, get over it. Times change."
"Yah Ino, besides. Like Neji said, the Uchiha doesn't look half bad. Maybe this new look will help prove to the school that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Tenten smiled to reassure her. Ino swatted away at the air and huffed in anger. She watched closely as Sakura whispered into Sasuke's ear and he smirked back at her. Naruto whispered to the both of them and Sakura giggled while Sasuke slapped the blonde in the head but they were all enjoying themselves. They were caught in their own little world even though there were tons of fan girls surrounding them. They seemed so happy. Ino had finally realized what it felt like to be on the outside. And she didn't like the feeling. This is going to change.
Kakashi walked into the classroom finally and all the girls surrounding Sasuke were forced to go to their classrooms or to sit in their seats. Sakura took a breath of relief and patted Sasuke on the back.
"It's over! Finally!" She grinned.
"Hn."
"Yah but this is probably going to be happening a lot more often now." Naruto muttered. The three of them sighed before opening their books and began listening to Kakashi's boring lectures.
After three more periods of fan girls chasing Sasuke around and Sakura and Naruto were forced into following him, it had finally reached lunchtime. All the girls were trying to get Sasuke to sit with him but to their disappointment, Sasuke had ignored all their requests and went to sit at the bench with Sakura. Naruto decided he would sit at his usual table with Neji, Tenten, and Ino. He said he didn't want to 'interrupt' their alone time to which Sasuke hit him in the head and Sakura blushed.
"Today was so tiring." Sakura said with outstretched arms.
"Was? It still is. We've got two more periods to go." Sasuke reminded her. Sakura shrugged her shoulders and opened her bag of lunch. Sasuke did the same and they both sat there quietly, eating their lunch. Sakura took a bite of her sandwich and glanced at the boy beside her. He really did look a lot different. Not that it was a bad thing because this change had made him look great. But now that all the girls were pursuing for his heart, she wondered if his personality would change along with. There was little doubt in her mind but it still bothered her. What if, now that girls actually paid attention to him, he started going out with them? With that thought, Sakura felt something pain her heart. Do I.. like him?
"Sakura." She looked up at the mention of her name. Sasuke quizzically watched her.
"What?" She asked.
"You're not talking." Sasuke replied. Sakura laughed quietly and put down her sandwich.
"You're concerned?"
"Hn."
"Just when I get you to talk more, you stop so abruptly."
"Whatever." Sasuke finished his lunch and glared at Sakura.
"You know Sasuke."
"…"
"I like when you talk." She smiled to him. Sasuke stopped glaring at her and his face held confusion for a moment. He sat there, inspecting Sakura's face closely. She continued on.
"And I like that you talk to me. It.. it makes me feel good." She stammered. Sasuke once again, gave a quizzical look.
"Why?" He inquired with a suspicious glance. Sakura gazed into Sasuke's eyes and kept on smiling.
"Because it makes me feel like I'm someone to you and not just another person you glare at. Someone that matters." She murmured. Sasuke didn't react. His face was as impassive as ever. Figures. Sakura stared down at her hands. It didn't surprise her. What did she expect? For him to come out and confess that he cared and he did it because he liked her? Yah right.
"Sakura." Sasuke said in a low tone. She didn't look up and kept on staring down at her lap. Sasuke's hand made a way towards Sakura's face and he lifted her chin up. Her green, emerald eyes peeked hesitantly as his face. His eyes bore into hers. He leaned closer towards her and Sakura's cheeks began to heat furtively. She could feel his hot breath on her and it made a shiver go up her spine. Sasuke tilted his head, his eyes half closed and Sakura sensed her heartbeat rise. His hand caressed her cheek and she shut her eyes, not knowing what was going to happen next. Is he going to kiss me? She questioned. But before she could find the answer, the bell rang indicating that lunch had ended. The missing warmth of Sasuke's hand on her face caused her to open her eyes. She saw him already up and ready to go, waiting for her. She quickly obtained her belongings and stood up.
"Time for Chemistry. Heh." Sakura nervously choked out. Sasuke didn't reply and they both began walking indoors, towards the classroom with fan girls trailing them from behind. Meanwhile, Ino watched them from within the cafeteria. She had been watching the whole time and didn't miss the almost smooch moment they just had. A tinge of jealously erupted through her as she thought of how Sakura always got what she wanted. She had the looks, the money, the popularity, and now she had the most gorgeous guy (as of today atleast) spending time with her.
"Ugh! Damn you Sakura!" Ino shrieked aloud. Tenten gave her an odd look while waving her hands in front of her face.
"Ino! Time for class."
"Yah yah. Let's go." They both got up from their table and went to catch up with Naruto and Neji.
I hope this chapter was long enough for you guys. I've already got the next chapter stirring up in my mind so I'm probably going to be writing that as soon as I upload this. I write as I go, so that's the main reason why I update so slowly xD. Anywho, I'm probably going to include Hinata and Shikamaru in the next chapter. Maybe even some other characters? Tell me if you want someone to be in the story. Reviews would be appreciated :) Please and thank you!