Author's Note: So yeah, this is my first chapter under my new name. Anyway, had most of this done for a long time now, but my inspiration has been running out on me as of late. Really irritating. But anyway, this may be my last update for a while, unless my inspiration doesn't run out on me again, then I may be able to squeeze in two more updates before I go back to hell. Crying myself a river here. There's quite a few swear words in here, so read at your own risk. Sakura's got her SK attitude again. I've been drifting too far from it recently, so I figured I'd set her character straight again. The chapter title was something I couldn't resist. I recently finished the series, so I had to do something in tribute to it. I simply love my SK. Anyway, I hope the dancing scene was satisfactory. I tried to do something different then what I did in "Dirty Laundry", and I think I did better here than there. There's still some things that happen in it that I need to expand on, but I'll do so in later chapters. One element's going to be important later, I think. Oh, thank you all for your reviews! Especially Sakagami Rose. You're a genius.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Inuyasha, Will and Grace, or Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I also do not own the lyrics for "Bring That Beat Back" by: Trance. I own Kimura Akira. That's it. I own my OC. And my ideas. Not the references, lyrics or the other shows I mentioned. There, done with that.
Note: Also, I hope you all like Kimura Akira. And, part of the credit for her goes to Sayuki Takamura Kuro TatsuHime. She was kind enough to offer one of her own OCs for this, but I declined and instead created my own OC out of hers' characteristics. Therefore, part of the credit for Kimura Akira goes to her. Thank you, Sayuki Takamura Kuro TatsuHime! This chapter is for you and Sakagami Rose! xD
"Are you serious? Kimura's going to fight Ms. Blondie?"
"That's what I heard, I can't say that it's guaranteed, but apparently she saw Yamanaka and Uchiha making out in front of the school the other day."
"That's insane! My bet's on Kimura. Hands down."
The stick of pocky in the side of my mouth rolled around in my cheek as Sasuke and I walked through the front doors of the school together for what seemed like the hundredth time. He'd made a habit out of stopping at the candy shop in the mornings when I ran out of pocky, which was every day. My mother continued complaining about my lack of femininity, especially in way I ate my food, which really pissed me off. And so, eating pocky like it was a cigarette was my way of rebelling, among other things. I curled my right hand on my hip, my black bag lying against my left hip, the strap that crossed my body pressing into my chest. My mother was one crazy bitch, with her femininity issues. Seriously. The bag was just as ridiculous as the crowd that stood in front of us. I blinked my jade eyes, and shifted on my feet, my red and white pleated skirt rippling in the wind. I didn't understand girls, and honestly, I didn't want to. Because odds were, I would like them even less than I already did.
I turned to Sasuke, and tossed my head, my short pink hair flying through the air. "What the hell is going on this time?"
"Hn," he answered, sliding his hands into his pockets as he turned toward me. "Why does it matter?"
"Because," I started, shifting the stick of pocky in my mouth as I sighed, lifting an eyebrow at the group of girls. "I know who that Kimura girl is, and if I know her well enough, she wouldn't be the type to fight. And especially not against Ino."
"Who is she?" Sasuke asked, blinking once. I snorted, and lifted my palms.
"Kimura Akira. A studious son of a-" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, as I snorted again. "-gun who graduated last year at the top of her class, which would be ours. She smart and pretty, and she flinches away from conflict, at least when she's around boys. But when they're absent, apparently she's a bitch."
"Kimura Akira, huh?" he replied dully, clearly bored. I smirked. He hadn't changed a bit. He still hated the topic of girls. Even after he saw what I looked like.
"Still not interested in girls?" I teased playfully, turning toward the crowd of girls. Sasuke bit his tongue behind his teeth with a sharp snap.
"You're so annoying," he replied, before snorting and turning toward our hallway with tightly screwed eyes wide shut, and a soft red blush covering the sides of his face. I sighed, and took a few steps after him, shaking my head.
"You're so stubborn," I murmured. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, turning around and glaring back at me. I jumped backwards at the intensity of his glare, and cocked my head as I smirked. "Want to prove me wrong?"
"Why would you care if I'm interested in girls or not?" he asked directly, much to my satisfaction. I'd known he'd react this way. Sasuke was an open book when it came to girls. It was either that, or I could read him really well. Which was kind of frightening, but not so surprising, since we spent a lot of time together nowadays?
Mikoto and my mother seemed to think it was a good idea to stick Sasuke and me together every time they left to go out on errands. Of course, I secretly had no problem with these developments, but I still wasn't sure if Sasuke had any problems with it, because he never said anything about it. He was always so silent about his feelings, so much so that it kind of hurt. I thought that he knew that he could trust me. It's not like I'd gone behind his back and said anything, because he never told me anything that I could use as blackmail. Besides, I wasn't about to backstab him, because he'd seen me with and without a towel on. For all I know, he could've already told people. That would explain the lingering looks some of the boys had taken to giving me recently. But for some reason, I didn't think Sasuke was the type to gossip about stuff that…personal. It was bad enough that he'd seen me in that state, let alone without any clothes on. But something about this whole thing was fishy. The looks, the girls backing off of Sasuke all of a sudden… The lack of fangirls was definitely the most disturbing. Ever since the first day of school, Sasuke had been hounded morning and afternoon by thousands of girls, and recently, there hadn't been many confessions for him to contend with. What was going on?
"Well, spit it out," he replied, breaking my thoughts.
I blinked, surprised. "Eh?"
"Why would you care if I'm interested in girls or not?" he repeated, his voice low and barely above a snarl. I crossed my arms over my chest, and smirked.
"Why would I not be?" He widened his eyes, and blinked, expectant, as if he knew that I wasn't done yet. I lifted my one foot, and started walking toward my locker, waving my hand back toward him. "It'd suck if I got down on my hands and knees and confessed to you only to get turned down because you were gay and I didn't know it."
"You think I'm gay?" he bit out, taking a step after me. I turned around, and rested my chin on my index finger as I blinked my left eye shut playfully.
"Well, are you?" I asked sweetly, cocking my head slightly. His face flushed ever so slightly, as he flinched, clearly uncomfortable.
"Why. Would. You. Think. That?" he asked, grinding his words out from between gritted teeth. His eyes were knotted, angry. His face came right up to mine, centimeters away from touching. But I wasn't fazed. Not this time. This was a serious matter, after all. It wouldn't do me any good to have my heart doing somersaults in my chest when he was this close to me. That was what had gotten me into trouble in the first place.
I lifted my index finger, the tip of it slamming into his forehead as I swung around, my pink hair slapping him in the face as I did so. "For one, you never talk about your feelings. Two, I never catch you looking at girls in any way possible that would let me know that you're straight. And three, you never tell me anything! We don't ever have boy-girl talk like all of those girls and their gay best friends do. Like Will and Grace!"
"…Sakura," he muttered, as I slammed my left fist into my right palm, holding my hand out flat.
"And you're socially awkward! To the point that I don't even know how to talk to you half the time. You don't know how to answer questions, you don't understand half the stuff I say, and to be honest, you probably tune half of it out. But what really gets me is that you don't seem to be interested in whatever I have to say whenever I walk up and talk to you. The only time you ever show interest in what I'm talking about is when I'm-"
"Sakura," he interrupted, more insistent this time. But I ignored him. I wasn't done listing his flaws yet.
"You snore like a cow when you sleep on my couch. You complain about being tired, and sore, and working on homework all day, when frankly, I suffer from the same pain! And you never want to play with me anymore! I'm dropping hints, and you could care less! Remember the other day when I grabbed that stick of pocky out of my pocket? I wanted to play a game with you, and you just turned around and flopped down on my couch! You took a nap!" Sasuke grabbed my shoulders in his hands gently.
"Sakura." His voice held no appeal to me now. I was far from done.
"Oh, and let's not forget your need to sprawl all of your hair products all over my bathroom sink! My faucet is literally sticky with your hair gel, which by the way, you have to clean! And the worst part of it is…YOU DON'T CARE!" I finished, Sasuke's hands on my shoulders tightening as he wrenched me back up from bending over. His eyes met mine, as his face flew toward my lips, hands sliding up to grip the sides of my face. But before his lips could meld with mine, a white square obstructed his path.
"Didn't you just hear those girls over there, Haruno? I'm fighting your wing woman Yamanaka. Paws off the Uchiha, got it?" I turned toward the voice, Sasuke's black eyes widening. Right hand holding her glasses, shoulder length blonde hair in a ponytail, Kimura Akira stood in front of me, withdrawing her book and slapping it to her hip. "Been a long time, huh Haruno?"
I narrowed my eyes, and smirked. "How many times have I told you that you can call me by my first name?"
"I don't know, one hundred?" she guessed, before I threw my arms around her, Sasuke's hands peeling from my shoulders quicker than the speed of light. Touching girls was off limits too, huh? Apparently that rule didn't count for me.
"Oh, Akira, I was just telling Sasuke all about you," I replied, pulling backwards and pointing my left thumb at the brooding Sasuke. She smirked.
"You were, were you? Well, what did you say?" she asked, turning to my raven-haired partner in crime. He snorted, and blinked.
"Hn," he replied, turning away with a slight blush on his face. I waved my hand in front of my mouth, and narrowed my eyes.
"He doesn't like talking to girls, looking at girls, touching girls, or even thinking about girls," I started, Akira's eyes widening behind her glasses. Sasuke's head swung toward me, his eyes narrowing. I curled the side of my lip up and continued. "He's…Gay."
"Sakura," he snarled, taking a few steps toward me. I lifted my palms and sighed, smirking all the while.
"What? You never gave me a clear answer." He grabbed my right wrist, and hauled me backwards, my spine colliding with his solid chest. His head dropped as he looked down at me, my wrist helpless in his grip. I couldn't do anything else but lean against him with all my weight. My legs were splayed out in front of me, and I couldn't exactly balance myself very well.
"I told you, I'm not gay. I'm not interested in any of the girls here because you're all annoying," he replied in my ear. I shut my left eye, and glared back at him out of my right.
"You want to explain to me why you jerked me backwards?" I demanded, glaring at Sasuke. Akira smirked, and sidled up to Sasuke from the side, and pointed her index finger down at me. He lifted his head from the side of my face, and blinked.
"What do you want?" Akira's head dropped as if it'd been slammed by a ton of bricks. I struggled, before lifting my gaze back to the black-haired cockroach. He met my gaze without as much as a blink, expectant.
"Are you ever going to answer me, you little-" His grip on my wrist tightened. "-ow!"
"Sakura." Akira's eyes widened, as Sasuke's face fell into my hair, his lips against my ear. "Is this Kimura Akira?"
"Took you enough, moron," I replied, my tone bitter, yet smirking. His head dropped as if I'd slammed it with a ton of bricks. Akira blinked once.
"I'm not the moron, Forehead," he muttered back, lifting his face from my ear and lowered my wrist ever so slightly, giving him clear access to my face. I wouldn't be able to lift my wrist to block him this time. His grip was too tight, too strong. Much too powerful.
"Let go of me, Chicken Butt," I snarled back, narrowing my eyes as he gripped my wrist even tighter, Akira watching from his left shoulder, her eyes wide and focused on Sasuke. I wondered why. "You're attracting attention, you know that right?"
"Let them watch," he scoffed, shutting his eyes and turning away slightly, his signature response to almost everything I had to say. I gritted my teeth as he inched closer, his lip curling up. "It's none of their business."
"Yeah, well, I don't want to be the most hated girl in the school, so if you'd be so kind," I retorted, lifting my right index finger to his cheek and shoving his head to the left as I jerked my wrist from his hand, breaking his grip. I took a step back, and flung my right fist back to my side. "What the hell is your problem, grabbing me like that?"
"Hn," he answered indifferently, turning toward his locker with a smug smirk on his face. I blinked at the sight of it, Akira turning and watching him leave with a slightly disappointed look on her face.
"What's with Sasuke?" I asked, cocking my head as the black haired moron retreated into the crowd devoid of eager fangirls. Akira lifted her index finger, and sighed, flattening her hand on her forehead.
"There's so much sexual tension between you two that he probably couldn't take it anymore. I'll bet that he wants you so bad, he has dreams about you two having sex."
I coughed and hacked up the piece of pocky in my mouth. "BUT WE HAVEN'T EVEN KISSED YET!"
"Well, then you should," she replied, smiling as I fumbled around in my bag, feeling for another stick of pocky to replace the wet and half dissolved one on the floor. "You two would make pretty babies."
"WHAT THE HELL?" I shouted, tossing my head as I glanced back at her, leaning over my bag. "SASUKE WOULD NEVER-"
"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" I blinked, and jerked my head back ever so slightly, jarring my pink hair that rested beside my face.
"Just because he looks at me doesn't mean that he wants to-" Akira shook her head, and sighed. It was an exasperated sigh, one that clearly said, "You're hopeless". Akira blinked open her eyes, and smiled softly.
"When a guy looks at you like you're something to eat, that means he wants you," she answered as-a-matter-of-factly, much to my annoyance. There was no way Sasuke wanted me. No way in hell. After all, he still couldn't stand me. No way in hell. I repeat for the third time, no way in hell. "As in, he's lusting for you."
I swung my head toward her, and snarled. "Akira…"
"What? It's true. He is totally in love with you," she replied, lifting her palms. I shook my head, and sighed. No. Way. In. Hell. A thought struck me.
"Then again, Sasuke has been spending a lot of time with me as of late," I started, tapping my finger to my chin as I thought about it. Akira nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest, like Naruto does when he has no clue what the hell's going on. And the worst part of it was, they were both blonde. Pun intended. "And what about that smirk on his face? Wait a minute. He was jealous!"
"Sasuke? Jealous? So true," she answered. My eyes softened as Sasuke's innocent face drifted across my mind, hopelessly asleep, passed out on my couch as we watched TV in my living room, waiting for our mothers to return with dinner. I smiled.
"Sasuke and I are just friends, Akira." Her face brightened as her feet left the ground in a joyous hop.
"Yay! That means I can go after him without having to worry about you getting in the way!" I sighed, dropped my forehead onto my fingers in an exasperated face-palm.
"Akira, is that the reason you came back to high school? Just to get with Sasuke?" I moaned, hunching over as Akira smiled and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder with a triumphant smirk glowing from her features.
"Aw, Sakura. Why would you think that?" she asked sweetly, leaning over with her finger at the spot under her left eye. My face connected with my palm, for real this time.
"Because of what you just said. You said that you were happy that you didn't have to worry about my getting in the way of you and Sasuke ending up together." Akira blinked, and waved her hand in front of her face, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses.
"Oh, did I? Sorry Sakura," she sputtered, her face reddening with a blush. I lifted an eyebrow, and nodded once, turning to the hallway that contained both my locker, and Sasuke. Akira sighed, and followed. "Well, what class does Sasuke have next?"
"How should I know?" I asked, despite the fact that I did know. And it wasn't the same class as me, much to my disappointment. I saw him later in the day though, in Human Biology and Anatomy, my best class. But that wasn't bad considering how I saw him almost every day after school, before school, and weekends. Sasuke was in my life 24/7. Not…That I had any problem with that. Akira's eyebrows furrowed, and she narrowed her bright azure irises.
"Saku-chan, you've got to know at least something," she pleaded, holding her hands underneath her chin and swaying from side to side with a puppy dog look in her eyes. I hated when she did that. It reminded me of the clump of pig fat that liked to sit on Tsunade-sama's desk when she lay drunk and reeking of sake on the floor.
"Don't call me that, Akira," I scolded, walking down the hallway that led to Sasuke, and my heart. She noticed my faraway expression as I turned from her, and she jumped forward, intending to follow.
"Wait, Sakura!" I stopped, and turned around.
"What?"
"I have the same first and second class as you."
"Are you kidding me?"
It was only second block, and she was already driving me nuts. I literally wanted to slam my head into the side of a wall a few times, and I'd very nearly done so in the past hour and a half since I'd arrived at school. She'd been pestering me about Sasuke's schedule relentlessly, even during the teacher's lectures. It was extremely annoying, and irritating. She wouldn't stop! It was like she could only focus on that one thing during our conversations. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. He was all I thought about these days. But then again, I had a good reason to. He was always over at my house, sprawled out on my couch sleeping or passed out on my bed while I took a shower. He was always sleeping at my house. Or torturing me with his intoxicating presence. And I didn't have any problems with that. I enjoyed having him around. But all the time? I was running out of things to talk to him about. He was there every second of the day. He was at my side constantly, like an extension of my own body. And it felt so good. So, so good. I loved having him beside me.
The beating of my heart echoed it, pulsed it from deep inside my chest. Sasuke was my best friend. We hadn't had many conversations, and he hadn't told me much, but we still had some kind of bond between us, whether it was because I was precious to him or I was in love with him or anything like that, he was important to me. I would do anything for him. Even comfort him if I had to. Whatever the hell that meant. Even now, my arms longed to hold him close, my heart craved the sound of his pulse, my tongue hungered for the sweetness that wafted from his lips every time we were close to one another. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, hoping to form a cage to hold my feelings and desires inside. My cross to bear. I would carry this burden upon my shoulders until I couldn't anymore. And I still had strength left. I wouldn't lose to myself. I curled my trembling lip up, my emerald eyes sparkling with a blazing firelight as my heart throbbed within the depths of my irises, writhing at the strength of the cage I'd locked it inside. I wouldn't give in to my weakness, my vulnerability. I wouldn't succumb.
But the burden was heavier than I'd anticipated, and the pain hurt worse than I'd expected. Just how long could I keep this up? I had no clue. How much longer would it be before I gave in, before I realized how weak I truly was? I dropped my head, my pink bangs hanging beside the sides of my face. I really was weak, wasn't I? I couldn't do a thing on my own, as it stood right then, and I was always crying for Sasuke. Why was I so pathetic, I wondered? Constantly trailing after him, constantly calling for him, constantly aching for him. When would that stop? When would all of this pain I was shouldering fade away? When would it all end? When would everything just 'fall into place'? I wanted him to cradle me, and instead, I was sitting here holding myself. What was with that? What was the use of fighting if I wasn't carried along the way? Why wouldn't he hold me? I raised my face, and clutched my hands close to my heart, the wind blowing into the room from the window beside me. I would bear this burden, to the very end. It was all I could do not to cry. Instead, I smiled.
I won't give up.
"Sakura, what's wrong? Are you alright?" I turned toward the voice in my left ear, blinking twice. It wasn't Sasuke; my eyes drooped. Akira blinked a few times, and smirked. "Get up and dance."
"What?" She leaned her face toward me, and smirked again.
"Get up and dance," she replied smoothly, lifting her thumb up, giving me a thumbs up. I lifted an eyebrow, and shifted toward her on the bench we were sharing in the back of the class. She had to be kidding. Dance in the middle of class? She had to be joking.
"You do realize where we are, don't you? Besides, I don't shake my ass in front of people," I retorted, turning back to the window with a snort. Akira wasn't deterred.
"Get up and dance, Sakura. It'll set you free," she whispered. I swung my head toward her, narrowing my eyes.
"Why the hell are you talking like that? And there's no way that I'm going to get up and dance in front of everyone!" I exclaimed irritably. Akira glanced around the room, and shrugged.
"There's no teacher in the room. Just bust a move. You're so tense," she answered nonchalantly. I shook my head, and extended a hand toward the mass of kids around the room.
"Everyone'll see me!" I exclaimed, rising to my feet.
"Since when has that ever stopped you?"
I jerked to a stop. She was right. Nothing like self-confidence issues had ever stopped me before. In fact, nothing had stopped me. Except for writing stories. I didn't like doing that ever since Ino thought it'd be funny to flush them down the toilet when we were in middle school. But that was like, three or four years ago when we were only in sixth grade. I was sixteen now, and it didn't matter to me what these idiots around me thought, so why should it bother me to bust a move? It wouldn't be all that hard. All I had to do was step over to the left and swing my hip out, and it was all over. But, what if it felt good? Then I wouldn't be able to stop. Motion and I weren't a good mix. Because when it gave, I took. And I didn't stop. I kept taking and taking and taking, until it couldn't give anymore. But I would have to stop fairly soon after I began anyway, right? So it was all good. It wouldn't hurt me to open up and slide my ass across the air at least once. And if everyone documented it in their phones for the rest of the grade to see, it didn't matter to me. It wouldn't matter to me, right?
"Fine. One time and one time only," I choked out, dropping my head in submission. Akira smiled sinisterly, and flipped her cell phone into her hand from her pocket in one fluid motion. It looked effortless, like Sasuke's swordsmanship. I was left speechless for a good thirty seconds.
"Let's see. What song should we torture you with?" I reached out and grabbed her phone, scrolling through the various titles until my finger 'accidentally' pressed one of them. Her phone's buttons were so small; it was a miracle that my pudgy finger didn't short circuit the hard drive. "Sakura!"
"I know this song!" I answered, and took a few steps backwards, standing in the middle of the aisle. The girl behind me slid backwards along her half empty bench, and smirked up at me. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I just had to do it one time. Just once to get rid of all this tension that was locked in my joints. The room was silent for a few seconds. "AKIRA!"
"G-Get up and dance!" she mocked, as my song blared from her phone speaker. It was grainy and awful sounding, but I knew this song too. I knew it better than I wanted to. I sighed, and gave in.
I swished my hip out to my right, shifting my weight to my right leg as I hopped over. The ease of mobility soothed my aching muscles as I held my arms out beside myself, the lyrics of the song drifting through my head. The leisure, the comfort that motion offered me quickly became addicting. I'd swished once, and that was all I had to do. But this feeling…I didn't want it to stop. I was enjoying this ease of mobility. I was enjoying this dance. Just swinging my hips out to the sound of the lyrics was soothing enough. But Akira wasn't finished with me yet. She started dancing beside me, sliding along the floor as the girls to our sides ducked for cover, or stood up to join us. I had no desire of smiling, but I couldn't help the cocky smirk that crossed my face. I was enjoying it. But why? I could still feel the tension, the tension that was locked away in each and every one of my joints. Was it because I wasn't moving enough? Was it because I was only moving one part of my body, restricting myself to only one range of motion? I narrowed my eyes. I had to fix this. Even if it would come back to haunt me later, I couldn't take this ache in each and every one of my bones. I couldn't deny it. I had to dance. And I had to dance now. I could've killed Akira at that moment. She had to play a song that was both catchy and annoying at the same time. She was going to pay for this.
I couldn't stop myself. My control over my own limbs had waned the instant I'd recognized Akira's voice, and I slid back and forth, my short pink hair swinging out behind me as I spun around, my arms moving to the music, sadly. Motion was my addiction. I hated sitting in a chair all day, even beside one of my best friends. Sitting down was restricting, and it felt like I had chains wrapped all around me, holding my limbs still, shortening their range of motion. I suppose that's why I lived for fighting, and sports, and Gym class. But with this…With this I didn't have to wait until Gym class. I could fight now. I could fight the tension that froze my joints and hindered my ranges of motion. Inertia wouldn't stop me now. My tendency to resist motion wasn't active at the moment. I would dance, and I would fight. No choice. And so I continued, sliding my feet across the floor as I swirled through the air of the aisle, my eyes limply closed. I was enjoying it. The fluidity of my movements sliced through the thick and stagnant air, sweeping the scent of cherry blossoms through the aisle as I danced. My jade green eyes glowed, my lip curled up, as the song continued through the measures that remained, my heart pulsing to the beats of the drum as I swung my arms out alongside myself.
My lip curled up behind swaths of strawberry colored streaks as I spun around again, my right leg lightly trailing after the rest of my body, my hands out beside myself to keep my balance as my feet and hands moved through step after step, unknown and foreign movements startling me. I had no clue what was happening now. I was dancing. Truly dancing. To this song that I barely knew. It was a techno song, electronica if you would, something I didn't normally listen to. But that didn't matter. I was enjoying dancing to this strange song that bore both piano and sheer editing effects. I caught my breath as the piano notes coursed through my veins, tapping their tune on the straight surfaces of my bones, my jade green eyes narrowing as I spun around once more. It felt like I was a girl going through one of those sparkly transformations in those magical girl animes. Nothing but nudity and glitter. It was weird. I could feel power, energy, magic, chakra flowing through the air around me, but it wasn't threatening. It didn't feel threatening. Even as I twirled through the silky power the shimmering magic flowing through my parted fingers as I cut through it, I didn't feel threatened one bit. Was that my own power? Was that the tension I'd released with my dancing? It had to be. I wasn't afraid. It had to be something born from my own body if I didn't feel threatened in any way.
Even as my fingers clutched at the sparkling power and brought it along with me as I spun, the shimmering translucent crimson power didn't fade. It wrapped around me, clutching to my skin tightly before fraying out at my hips and chest. I smiled, closing my eyes once more, as I held my hands to the tightly tied ribbons of scarlet power and slid my feet out, pieces of crimson magic blowing through the air around me. They followed the path my spins created, twirling through the air like dancing rose petals, my hands falling from my chest to float at my hips as the music paused for a few seconds. My legs tightened, craving more motion, more movement, and I was anxious to give it back to them, but I had to wait. The music dictated when and when not to move, and I had to follow the rules. The anxious rose petals began falling, the shimmering magic that clung to my skin trembling in anticipation. My heart throbbed. Once. Twice. Three times. My knees bent as I leaned forward, bringing my hands to my hips where the scarlet lace waited, and blinked in Akira's direction.
"Bring that beat back."
The song began again, sweeping through piano keys and electronic instrumentals as I spun around again, sliding my feet across the floor once more, my hands and arms slicing through the fragile power that sparkled in the air. Fragments of sunlight lit the strands of my hair on fire, orange and pink radiance fighting for dominance as my dance continued. I didn't hesitate so much this time. I kept up with my movements, even though I was almost out of breath. Akira was enjoying this display of power and endurance, as I moved through step after step flawlessly, seamlessly. My crimson lace flew out beside me, catching the shards of glittering sunlight as I twirled effortlessly through the aisle. Around and around I went, losing myself in this one moment of weakness, of vulnerability, of femininity. I could be a girl, just this one time. The others were tapping their toes or head banging, along with the occasional tapper of the fingers on the desktop. A few girls had joined me, and danced through the aisle, bringing more and more glistening power along with them. The entire aisle was glowing as the song slowly began to reach its end, my scarlet power clinging to the shape and slope of my hips and chest, regardless of the impending end of the song. I didn't care. I would enjoy the last few bars of this song to my very last breath. I swung my right leg out beside myself, and pulled the rest of my body along, spinning one more time with my hands alongside myself, transforming one more time. My left leg slammed into the floor as I stopped mid spin, holding my arms out delicately for balance. My pink hair swished in the sunlight that trapped it, my jade eyes amber in the light. The crimson lace held tight, flying out to my sides along with my skirt. The magic paused in the air, the fragments swirling in the circling wind for a few seconds longer.
It paused long enough for me to murmur through weakly parted lips, "Bring that beat back."
"Nice job, Sakura. Do you feel better now?" Akira asked. I lifted my head, and smiled, nodding once.
"Much better. You were right. Dancing really eased the tension in my joints and helped me feel better about myself," I answered excitedly, as the girls in the class began to swarm around us.
"You looked so beautiful Sakura," a tomboy gushed, despite her rough and skater type appearance. The other girls around her bobbed their heads in agreement. I nodded, and sighed.
"Well, at least I don't feel so cramped now. I can relax," I drawled, taking a step back to my seat and plopping back down, crossing my left leg over my right. My left hand fell over my right on my left kneecap as I sighed heavily, and glanced back up at the front of the room. "Jeez, that sure took a lot out of me. I'm exhausted now."
"It should've. Now you won't feel tense because you're exhausted. That's why after you exercise enough, you fall asleep really quickly." I held my hand up to my mouth and yawned daintily, before reaching into my pocket for a stick of pocky. My fingers brushed the crimson lace of power the released tension had created, and I smiled. I'd transformed.
"Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit sleepy. And it's all because I let you convince me to shake my ass in front of every person in this room. You'll pay, Akira. You'll pay dearly," I answered, popping the stick of pocky into my mouth. She laughed once, and smiled.
"Pay? Hardly. You feel better now, so it's all good. I don't have to pay for anything." I rolled my head toward her, leaning back in my chair. My left jade eye opened in her direction.
"That's right. I have something I wanted to ask you," I replied. Akira dropped the left side of her face onto her hand, and snorted.
"What?" I leaned my face toward her, and held one hand up to cover the side of my mouth. This was for her and her alone.
"Are you really going to be fighting Ino?" She cocked her head, and blinked.
"Why would I not be? I caught her and Uchiha making out in the front of the school the other day." I narrowed my eyes. There was no way that was true. He would've told me if he was making out with girls. He would've, right? He totally would've. Sasuke and I were friends, right?
"I don't think Sasuke would make out with a girl without telling me. I mean, we're friends." Akira sighed, and lightly grabbed the opposite end of the pocky stick in my mouth delicately.
"I'm not lying to you. Uchiha was making out with Yamanaka. At least, someone with black hair…" I planted my hands at my sides on the bench, and surged forward, my wide forehead pressing against Akira's, our eyes locked.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! FIRST YOU SAY IT'S SASUKE, AND NOW IT'S SOME RANDOM BLACK HAIRED GUY! GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU TELL ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"
"Never mind. It was Uchiha." I balled my hands at my sides, forcing myself to keep calm despite the whiteness of my eyes.
"Are you positive?" I bit out, my question filed with tension. She lifted her hand from the end of the pocky stick, and tapped her finger to her lips.
"Let's see…Black haired. That's all the proof I've got. Except for the sound of his voice. It was definitely Uchiha." Then I lost it.
"SHANNNAROOOOO! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT BOY? HE'S KISSING GIRLS AND HE WON'T TELL ME? WHAT KIND OF GAME IS HE PLAYING? DOES HE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THAT MAKES ME FEEL, HUH, DOES HE?"
"Calm down Sakura, there's no need to overreact. It's not like you're jealous or anything, right?" I snapped my teeth together, and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Of course not," I huffed, turning away. "Why would I be jealous?"
"Sexual tension?" she offered, blinking once.
"GOD DAMN IT! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEXUAL TENSION!" I roared, slamming my foot up onto the edge of the desktop, hooking my boot on it for balance. "THERE'S NO WAY I'D LET HIM COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME WITH THE INTENTION OF DOING THAT!"
"Are you sure? You seem kind of hesitant." I ground my teeth together, snarling as I crossed my arms over my chest again, my eyes white with rage.
"HESITANT MY ASS!" I thundered, slamming my boot into the desktop twice in rapid succession. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
"For goodness sakes, Sakura, just admit that you're in love with him already," she muttered, patting her hand back up to her cheek.
"WHY WOULDN'T HE TELL ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WE'RE FRIENDS, AREN'T WE? SHANNNAROOOO!" The screaming eased the pain. But only a little. It hurt so much. But it was my own fault. I'd let myself have a crush on someone I'd never have. And besides, I'd told myself that I'd stay out of the fight for him, right?
"He doesn't have to tell you everything he does, you know. You aren't his girlfriend. But anyway, I'm pissed at Yamanaka for even looking at him in that way. She's going down." I ignored her, and slammed my boot into the desktop one more time.
"Damn that pisses me off!" I exclaimed, echoing my words with a second slam. Akira rolled her eyes.
"You're jealous." I swung my head toward her.
"Shut the hell up," I retorted, narrowing my eyes. "It's your own fault that I'm like this. If you hadn't of told me-"
"Oh, so now you wish you didn't know?" Akira asked, lifting her head. "Make up your mind."
"My mind is made up. I just don't want to hear it from you," I replied. "I don't trust you."
"And why's that?" I tapped the pocky stick in my mouth against my bottom teeth lightly.
"Who knows where you got that information from," I answered lazily, sitting back down on the bench, and sliding toward her in one fluid motion. "You could've gotten it from Karin, or someone else I don't like."
"You haven't changed at all," she replied, sighing and rolling her eyes. "You still don't get along with Karin?"
"Nope. Never have, never will," I answered, chomping down on my pocky stick loudly. "And I honestly don't give a crap either. Karin's been mean to me since, like, the first grade. Should I care about what she has to say or what's going on with her? No, I shouldn't. She's a bitch, and that's all that matters."
"You're so narrow-minded. Karin could prove to be useful, if you're ever in a catfight." I turned my head toward Akira, as the teacher walked back into the room.
"What, you've been in one?" I asked. She tossed her blonde hair, and blinked her eyes behind her glasses.
"I've been in a few. I've been in like, six or seven with you, and nearly hundreds with Tenten," she replied. I snorted, and flipped another stick of pocky into my hand.
"That's not 'a few'. You need to go back to kindergarten and learn how to count better. It's no wonder you're failing Math," I responded, earning a smirk from Akira.
"You know me so well, my little cherry blossom," she replied, poking my forehead. I snorted, and batted at her hand.
"Don't call me that."
"But you're so cute!"
"Shut it before I pound you."
Akira folded her arms over her chest, and snorted. "Whatever, party pooper. Anyway, what was the point of this discussion?"
"Are you really going to fight Ino?" I answered, serious this time. Akira nodded.
"Yeah. I made a threat, so I have to back it up. What kind of person would I be if I made threats like that and didn't go through with them? You know me. I'd never talk shit like that. I'm not like those stuck-up, pretty girls that think they're invincible because of their reputations," she answered, leaning back on the bench we shared. "No, when I make a threat like that, I go through with it."
I sighed, and lifted my right hand up beside my face and waved it. "You're too soft."
"How so?" she replied, surprised. I turned toward her, and smiled.
"You worry too much about what other people think of you. Who gives a crap about whether you talk trash like that or not? 'Going through with it' isn't honorable either. It just gives you the title of bitch. Even if you're threatening someone like Ino. She won't hesitate to trash you. She's the Queen Bee of this school." Akira gave me an annoyed look.
"You're one to talk," she replied, turning away. I sighed.
"That's not the point. If you really are going to fight Ino, you need to keep some of these things in mind." She glanced over at me, and blinked.
"How would you know? You've never got into a fight with your 'best friend' have you?" I shook my head, and waved my right hand again.
"It's not like that either. Ino's delicate. She gets worked up really easily. Just watch yourself, because she gets crazy when she's snapped, okay?" Akira's lip curled up.
"I find your lack of faith in me disturbing," she answered cockily. "Just let me handle her. My way."
"Suit your own self," I shot back, flicking my head in her direction. Akira sighed, and leaned back against the bench, holding her hands behind her head.
"In any case, what are you going to do about Uchiha?" I bristled.
"You handle Ino. I'll deal with Sasuke." She smirked.
"Hai, Sakura-hime!"
"This isn't Japanese class, so shut up." She lifted herself to her feet, and towered over me, finally having had enough.
"You know what?" she hissed out from clenched teeth. The rest of the class as well as the teacher turned to face us. I blinked expectantly.
"What?" I asked. Akira snarled, clenching her hands into fists at her sides.
"You-" I narrowed my eyes.
"Osuwari."
"I thought you said that this wasn't Japanese class?" I tightened my fingers on my arms, the corners of my mouth twitching.
"OSUWARI, OSUWARI, OSUWARI!"
"For crying out loud, I'm not Inuyasha!" Akira exclaimed plopping to her seat on the bench. "Seriously, who died and made you Kagome?"
"Hate to disappoint you, but I'm Kikyo in this feudal fairy tale," I muttered back. "I'm going to drag Sasuke down to hell if it's the last thing I do."
"Wow, you're pretty mad aren't you?" I clenched my fingers, and seethed.
"Yes, I suppose I am." A hollow, but deep sigh escaped through my parted lips. "But that's to be expected."
"Okay, now you're just quoting," Akira replied, snorting. I turned toward her, and smirked, rolling my head back as I turned toward her, holding my right hand and pocky stick beside my face.
"Just like the good ol'days, right?" I answered. She sighed, and lifted her palms.
"Aw, jeez. Don't pull that 'good old days' crap on me. Because trust me, those days weren't good," she retorted. I sat back up again, and popped the pocky stick into my mouth.
"Better than these days. Seriously, we didn't have to worry about a thing back then," I answered wistfully. She glanced over at me, expectant. "I mean, we didn't have to worry about homework, boy troubles, catfights. None of it."
"I suppose you're right." I smiled, and turned toward her.
"Akira, there's-"
"Haruno Sakura, Kimura Akira. If you're quite finished, I'd like to continue on with class? I've tolerated it for long enough. Next time either of you speak, it's detention."
I waved my hand across the air, and sighed. "Understood."
"Yes ma'am," Akira replied, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair. "Oh, and Sakura?"
"What is it now?" I asked, turning toward my bag that rested on the floor. Akira scooted toward me, and patted my shoulder.
"When you stood up and put your boot on the desktop, you…Kind of flashed everyone your underwear," she answered. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, and?" Akira sighed, and leaned toward my ear.
"It's not lady-like. Queen Victoria would say-"
"URUSAI!"
"It's not Japanese class."
"URUSAI, URUSAI, URUSAI!"
"DETENTION!"