Sigh, so the last couple of days have been rough. I haven't been able to sleep, I've been getting the sniffles on and off, and I had this horrible stomach ache that just wouldn't go away.
It was very hard for me to come back; I really struggled to get back into writing after not thinking about it for a couple days. I don't think it helped that I was still tired and worn down a little bit but I was determined to work on it. Every time I went to write I could feel the tiredness in me, telling me to take a nap but I just couldn't stand not writing for another second, even if my mind slowly cranked out the words. Sometimes I would get a writing burst, and other times I would have to walk away and do something else because I became so frustrated at not being able to write.
Fortunately, I did manage to get the chapter started but it took some days to get back to it and start again, especially since I was feeling so crappy. While I was sick though I did write some stuff down in my notebook and what I wanted to show in this chapter so hopefully that will speed up the process to write this chapter and help.
Also some thank you replies are in order to some of those reviews out there! Now I randomly just looked through them, there were some I wanted to reply to and other's I just saw and thought were funny so please don't be mad that I didn't reply to everyone's.
Flirtologist: I love how you have so much faith in my writing as to think it could be published as a book! Wow, I would love if that could happen but I mean if I publish it then everyone who has read it here would already know what has happened and where's the fun in that? But you and me must be on the same brainwave, maybe that's a good thing for me or a bad thing for you ^^, because I was also thinking how cool it would be to publish this as a book. Thank you for your faith in me.
QueenThayet12990: I was also having a Sasuke withdrawal which is why I had, and I mean HAD, to put him in the end again. I'm glad I'm not the only one who was feeling that way or else I might have considered myself just a tad bit loopy. And also I wanted to keep writing till I finished the whole story...but that might be a little bit too long for a one-shot. Thanks for hanging in there, for the advice, and surviving the Sasuke withdrawal.
nightwish635: That is exactly what I was thinking when I was planning for the story. I mean spot on. I was afraid that if I went too fast then it would be further from reality, but I didn't want to go too slow and bore you all to death x.x! I am very glad that others picked up on that and understand my dilemma. Thank you for commenting on that and making me feel like all that hard thinking was worth it.
PurpleOnyx: It's nice to know that some still read the Author's note. I know that sometimes even I pass by just to get to the good stuff, ahem ahem. But to know that some are reading them makes me happy because I spend time on the Author's notes too. I proofread and think over everything, so the work is well placed then if other's are reading it. Thank you for acknowledging my bad joke and pointless Author's note.
Hinata's Inner Universe: I'm glad that you are enjoying it so much! And also I'll do you a HUGE favor and update just like you wanted! Hopefully it will still be on your list of best read stories once it is done. Thank you for making me feel like my story is worthy of being compared to some of the top dogs on this site.
sasukeztruelove: I completely understand why you would forget about my story after three years. Three years is a very long time! But I am happy that you don't regret favoriting, is that even a word? because my computer is telling me it isn't, my story and have given me another chance to wow you! Thank you for the second chance and I hope you don't fall off your seat because that might hurt.
Cowgirl 101: I hope so far I am answering all your questions thoroughly. If not than I am really sorry, maybe in a couple chapters they will be answered! And I admit that in some stories I also skip paragraphs...everyone does at some point unless all they have ever read are good stories. I was hoping that I would be able to suck in the reader and keep them entertained and I am so happy that you have shown me that. Thank you for fully reading my story and making me feel like all those descriptions, actions, dreams, and answers were worth it.
All the other readers I also give my thanks to because honestly, this story would be nothing without you guys. I enjoy reading my own work but sometimes it's better to see all of your reactions, especially those that alert it and favorite it just so that they can keep tabs on it. Without you guys this story is just that, a story. With you guys it is an imaginative state of mind that sets all of you into a realm of daydreams and fantasies involving the wonderful Naruto characters. Thank you and hopefully you guys won't daydream too much...drooling and staring off into space isn't the best way to spend your day...I know from experience.
Regular
Thoughts
"Talking"
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Naruto is not mine, unfortunately.
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Enjoy
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The water lapped at my skin as I sat there, soaking in the girl's bathroom.
Class had been boring. Even the fact that it was my very first class at the university didn't quench the bored feeling that had run through me. I guess it had to do with the fact that my whole life was turning upside down, in both a good way and a bad way. The class lectures and information just didn't measure up to all the excitement and fear that I had experienced.
My mind hadn't been able to stay under wraps during class either. I had been lucky when I walked in, there being no sign of Sasuke. I wasn't sure I'd be able to concentrate with him there.
My heart had sunk too, unwillingly, when he hadn't been there. I had hoped he would be in the class so I could try and get another glance at his back and his tattoo. That was far fetched though, along with him showing up in my Biology class.
Even with him not being there didn't help, my mind couldn't stay away from him.
I wasn't sure if it was because he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen and always seemed to be able to crawl into my skin somehow, or it if was because there was something about him that I couldn't quite place my finger on. The tattoo had been weird enough, considering it looked just like the one in my dream, and that had set my mind into another whirlwind.
Why did he have that tattoo? Was it really a tattoo or was it like mine? If it was like mine then he would have to have abilities too, and I didn't want to go off thinking that and accusing him of things that weren't true.
If I did go off accusing him of something he wasn't then that would cause more problems than I could keep up with. I would look like a nut case and I would have to explain the whole accusation to him, including the abilities and my dreams.
And then he would think I was obsessed with him for dreaming about him which I would rather do without.
But still…
Stop it and just relax. I told myself as I sunk down lower into the large tub. I looked around the bathroom again just to take my mind off everything else tumbling around in it.
When I had walked into the girl's bathroom at the end of the hall I had expected some stalls and showers. But I should have known by now that it would be much more than that, and better. The floors were clean and polished and sanitary looking. There were toilets, but they each had their own separate room just like in Auntie Tsunade's guest bathroom. The shower stalls were off to the side, their walls rising just high enough that you should see someone's head, and low enough that you could see someone's calves and feet. I had been relieved when I had spotted what looked like a large hot springs only inside, steam rising off of the surface. Next to it on the wall hung a sign that said: Shower before entering.
All in all, this bathroom was huge and perfect. Like everything else was here.
Luckily the bathroom had been empty by the time I had gotten there around eleven at night. The lights were automatic and made everything glow, making me eager to get into the large springs and just relax. I had quickly showered, washing my hair and body of the day's sweat and grime, before practically running to it.
I took one of the towels off the rack next to the springs and wrapped it around myself before stepping into the water. The water came up to my thighs and I quickly sat down, welcoming the warmth the water brought.
My muscles loosened and I reached up a hand to rub them tiredly. I tried to stop my mind from thinking but that was proving very hard, the silence giving my brain a bigger reason to think.
Frustrated, I sunk lower into the water, letting it lap at the underside of my chin. Wishing there was an off switch for my mind, I closed my eyes and listened to the dripping of water while ignoring everything else both in my mind and around me.
The dripping lulled me into fog until my mind shut down and blackness surrounding me.
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Pente.
5.
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I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly. My hand rose to block out the sunlight blinding me. Once my eyes adjusted I opened them back up to take in the meadow around me.
The sunlight shown down through the meadow and framed the pond and the trees. Birds sang as they flew in the sky and the trees whistled in the breeze that lightly blew. Across the pond stood a waterfall, its falling water foaming at the base and creating a mist that the breeze carried to me.
I sat there in front of the water, the crystal blue water reflecting back my head and upper body to me. My armor caught the sunlight, its symbols glowing in the rays. My pink hair was still in a long braid, draped over my shoulder and the end swaying lightly in the breeze.
The water sparkled, the fish swimming under the surface creating a ray of the colors of the rainbow. Their scales glistened like diamonds, a sight I had never seen before and that left me in awe.
I tried to remember if the waterfall had been in my last dreams but I couldn't see it. The shining water made me want to emerge myself in it and have it glide over my skin. I wanted to feel it slide under my fingers and cool my skin as the sunshine beat down on me.
Without thinking I stood, my hands taking out the tie holding my braid together. I slowly unweaved it, setting the intertwined sliver thread on the ground next to the tie. Once my hair was free it cascaded down my back in curls and spirals like the waterfall.
Next I took off my katana, setting it carefully on the ground. I slid my boots off my feet, the grass crunching under my feet and tickling my ankles. Then I took off the leather armor hanging over my thighs.
My fingers unhooked the hard leather that rested on my shoulders and covered my chest and back and lifted it over my head, setting it down next to my boots. Underneath was another leather shirt, but softer and easier to move in. It felt like silk to my skin along with a protective feel, the hardness making me feel safe.
Right as my hands reached for the buttons of my pants another hand stopped mine, holding my wrist firmly.
Startled, I glanced up, surprise and fear making my heart thump wildly.
Sasuke stared down at me, a glint in his eyes. A blush rose to my face, embarrassed that he was here in the meadow with me, especially while I was undressing.
I hadn't even sensed him come into the meadow or approach me which suddenly made me feel vulnerable, not of any enemies but of him.
Just like in all my other dreams, he looked sinfully wonderful. His dark hair contrasted with the sunlight, his eyes gleaming with a red tint. The armor sat on his muscular body perfectly, a lazy smirk on his face. He looked just like he did in real life, something that made me uneasy and excited at the same time.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.
His eyes traveled down my body, his hand still holding my wrist captive. I had to fight the urge not to turn away and hide my body from his heated gaze. My hand clenched at my side, my stomach bunching up nervously as he stared into my eyes again.
Unwillingly my mind started to work again, the shock from before melting away. What if he thought I was ugly? He was a God among men, a God that had high standards I bet. What if I didn't reach those standards?
"You're beautiful," he spoke softly, his voice making me shiver even though the sun provided more than enough heat to warm me. For a moment I wondered if he could read my mind, but I quickly lost that though when he let go of my wrist, the warmth disappearing with it.
His hands moved towards the buttons of my leather pants, his eyes still holding mine.
I felt the pants loosen as he slowly unbuttoned them, my blush growing as more buttons were loosened.
I reached down to hold up my pants but his hands stopped mine. They slid around my waist, leaving a trail of warmth, and pulled me closer.
I felt them slide into the back of my pants, resting on my bottom. My mind spun as his hands slid over my bottom and down the back of my thighs, sliding the pants down my legs slowly.
His fingers danced across my skin as he lowered to his knees, his eyes tracing the outline of the skin that was bared to him. My shirt tumbled down to my thighs, free from being tucked inside my leather pants. I clenched my fists against the urge to pull the hem of the shirt down lower but knowing that Sasuke would stop me before I could do anything of the sort.
He stayed kneeled, his eyes dancing with a passion I didn't recognize. I once again tried to say something but stopped when he slowly stood up, his hands now tracing my skin up my legs.
"What—"
"Shh, just feel," He cut me off, his voice firm and silky smooth.
Deciding to do as he said I stood there, allowing him to continue dancing his fingers across my thighs.
His hands continued their trail upwards as he stood. They ran over my hips and up my ribcage, the heat of his hands coming through my shirt and making me want more. More of what, I didn't know. It occurred to me that whenever he was around I wanted something, something I couldn't quite place my finger on.
But I did know I wanted more of what he was doing. I wanted his fingers to dance across my shoulders and slide down my back. I wanted his hands to pull me closer and push me to the edge. The need to discover and be discovered surged through my skin, scaring me and making me eager at the same time.
I held my breath as his hands skimmed along the sides of my breasts before sliding around to my back and going up to caress my shoulders. He pulled me closer till our chests were touching and I could feel the hard muscle of his chest firmly against my own.
I faintly wondered if he could feel my heart hammering in my chest but I was sure he could since I could feel every breath he took.
"Breathe," he murmured, a laugh in his tone. I started to look up, a glare on my face but I froze as his fingers found the buttons on my shirt.
Slowly he unbuttoned the first button, his breath coming in labored. This was the first I'd seen him where he was struggling with something, struggling with me.
I felt my own breath pick up, anticipation running through me and making me feel like I would never inhale enough air into my lungs again.
His hands worked down the line of buttons till he reached the last one, just below the valley of my breasts. The shirt gaped in the front slightly, allowing the breeze to cool my suddenly heated skin.
I waited for him to remove that too but he didn't. His fingers lingered on the last button, his chest rising and falling harshly.
"Sasuke—"
"Patience Sakura…" His voice drifted off as he ignored my impatience. It felt weird, different, to be impatient over this. A moment ago I had been embarrassed, unsure, and now I wanted this. I wanted to fall off the edge into nothingness and slowly fade back up towards reality while his hands ran over every inch of my skin.
My shirt rustled in the breeze and I felt the grass tickle my ankles, causing me to shift to stop it.
Startled I looked down as an intense heat erupted on my skin. I almost screamed as the fire on my shirt moved upwards and over my shoulder. I felt the heat move down my back and I arched, trying to get my back away from it.
Sasuke's hands held me to him tightly as the flame continued to scorch my shirt into nothingness.
"What's happening?" My voice shook, the back of my shirt opening up as the bottom broke apart from the fire. The flame broke apart into two little balls of fire and burned around the sides before making its way up my front.
"It won't hurt you." I clutched at his arms, trying to believe that the fire wouldn't burn me. But that's what fire did, it burned.
The fire lapped at Sasuke's armor but didn't burn it. Why was it burning me but not burning him?
I felt the breeze cooling my skin but my body shivered in fear, not coldness. The last piece of my shirt finally burned away, leaving me bare to the world and Sasuke. Sasuke let me pull away slightly so I could see where the fire was.
My eyes rested on it in shock where it lay lightly against my skin. I looked back up at Sasuke and found him staring at it also, his eyebrows scrunched together slightly as if he were in deep concentration.
The warmth brought my attention back down to the flame. It danced up my skin and hovered between Sasuke and me. Suddenly it flicked and disappeared with a small crack.
The loss of the heat was so noticeable that I shivered, the air around me colder than I had thought.
"Where…" I forgot what I was saying as I looked into Sasuke's eyes. The red tint that I had seen earlier in them now engulfed all of the black. "Your eyes."
I wasn't sure what to think, or do. Being naked in the middle of a meadow after almost being burned wasn't on my list of daily things that I did so I didn't know how to react. I knew I should be freaking out and embarrassed but something in my told me to be calm. He would never intentionally harm me, or so I wanted to believe, so there was nothing to be worried about right?
My thoughts vanished as Sasuke's face erupted into a smile that left me gasping for air. I had never seen him smile before and it was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. When he smiled his whole face lit up like the sun and made me want to smile along with him. The whole clearing looked brighter just with his smile.
I was still staring at his face speechlessly when his hands grasped my shoulders and turned me towards the water. I felt him lean down, the heat of his body chasing away some of the chills running down me. I wanted to wrap myself in his warmness and never leave it. I wanted to curl against his chest and feel his arms wrap around me and provide me with the feeling of safeness.
I jumped as I felt his mouth on my shoulder, his lips pressing slightly against my skin. He slowly peppered my shoulder with kisses before moving to the back of my neck. I tried not to make a sound, the silence of the meadow making me feel that if I did I would disturb something sacred.
An unconscious shiver ran down my spine and through my body as he nipped the skin between the back of my neck and shoulder. As he nipped again slightly harder my head fell back against his shoulder, my lips parting to draw in much needed air. His lips smoothed out the slight pain and moved across my other shoulder.
He stopped suddenly, too suddenly if I had anything to say about it, and took a small step back. Lightly nudging me forward towards the edge of the pond, his voice rang out roughly through the clearing.
"You can swim now," he said as if he was able to order me around. I was tempted to glare back at him, my frustration clearly evident, but that had been my original intent. And I was also naked, very much so in front of the single most gorgeous man alive.
The water looked inviting as I stepped up to the edge. The goosebumps appeared on my skin as I prepared to jump into the cool water and submerge myself in it.
Looking back over my shoulder I took one final look at Sasuke, the sun haloing him. He nodded at the water, his eyes silently demanding that I jump in and enjoy myself. I watched as his eyes moved down my backside slowly, a blush of embarrassment and anger rising to my face.
I dove in before he could finish his scrutiny of my backside. A smug smile sprang to my face before it disappeared, the cool water gliding across my skin erasing all thoughts from my mind.
The water rippled as I surfaced, my legs kicking me backwards till I was closer to the waterfall. I slowly glided around the pond, the childish fantasy of being a mermaid causing me to dive under the water and twirl around gracefully.
Each time I surfaced for a breath I took into account the ripples of the water around me, their rings a perfect symmetry. Without thinking I started to splash as I came up, laughing silently as the little water droplets hung in the air for a moment before gravity dragged them back down.
As I started to splash more and more water into the air I noticed that the downward journey of the droplets started to slow. The water seemed to move in slow motion, as if it was struggling with gravity.
The next time I surfaced I threw a handful of clear liquid into the air and watched as it stayed there, suspended in midair. I dived back under and slid across the sandy bottom, the water so clear that it was visible from the surface. Coming back up I threw more glassy droplets into the air and watched as those too froze in midair, as if gravity had been turned off.
Gleefully I continued, going around the pond and spreading the droplets in the air above the surface till it looked as if there were Christmas ornaments hanging from invisible strings, the sun shining on the water and making them shine.
I kicked backwards till I was near the waterfall again. I took in the sight in front of me, the beauty of it all and sheer reality of it too.
I caught sight of Sasuke in the corner of my eye, my body unwilling to forget him so easily while he was so close.
My eyes watched him as he slowly sat down, one of his legs stretched out and the other drawn up lazily while his head rested on the raised knee.
Something about him seemed so familiar, like a little piece of me was so use to this that I could have pictured it without him actually doing it. I could have stared at him all day like he was staring at me and I would have if it weren't for the figure that suddenly glided out of the shadows of the forest surrounding the clearing.
"Sasuke—" I realized I was too close to the waterfall too late. I reached out towards his as the water rushed over me and dragged me under. I caught one last glimpse of Sasuke, my struggle with the waterfall renewing and failing.
Sasuke had leapt to his feet, his arms raised as he prepared to dive. His face was frozen in fear, burning into my mind so painfully that I knew I would never forget it as long as I lived, the terror scaring me beyond anything that had ever scared me before.
What scared me just as much was the figure looming closer to him, a glinting object in his hand raised above his head.
I fell below the surface of the water before I could see anything more, a scream of terror stuck in my throat. I tried to claw my way to the surface but the water only seemed to drag me down, something that I thought it would never do. The water was supposed to help me, not hurt me.
The blackness engulfed me as the light faded away, leaving me to drown in fear and hopelessness.
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Water coursed down my lungs as I sat up. A coughing spasm took over me as I tried to breathe.
"Sasuke!" My sheer volume of my voice startled me as I unthinkingly screamed out his name.
It had been a dream, all of it, just like the others. But the sheer horribleness of it all still shook me to my core. I could feel the dark figure just looming outside the corners of my mind, ready to strike, ready to kill.
Had he killed Sasuke? Before I had been dragged under I had seen him, his attention solely focused on me and not the figure behind him. Was that how he had died?
I clenched my hand tightly over my chest as the aching of my heart thudded through me. The thudding ran through my hand and down my arm, a feeling I had never felt before.
Up until then I had been sitting in the springs lost in thought, not taking into account the time or surroundings. Glancing up my hand dropped into the water with a plop, my eyes blinking rapidly as if I was still in my dream.
"What is happening?" I whispered as my eyes widened.
In front of me lay small crystal clear orbs that were hovering just above the surface of the springs. My mind tried to crank out why this was happening, and how. I would have believed it to be possible in my dream, since it was exactly that, a dream, but not here, not in real life.
"This is not happening," I muttered as my fingers touched one of the suspended droplets. It stayed in the air for another moment, the surface cold and watery, before it slid down my finger and rejoined with the water after falling off my elbow.
My fingers started to feel pruned as I stayed longer in the water. Deciding it was time to get out I stood, my hands clutching the soaked towel to my body.
As I got out the suspended orbs of water unfroze and fell back into the springs, creating a sound akin to rain. I glanced around as the echoing of the falling water stopped, paranoid and on edge.
I knew it was stupid to believe someone else was in here; I mean where would they hide? But I couldn't help it, the dream had shaken me and left me scattered in little pieces of fright, trying to scramble to understand and stay calm.
I tried to wring out as much water in the towel as I could before I headed over to my clothes. Even though there was no one in the bathroom I couldn't help but look over my shoulder periodically. As I dried off I stood with my back to the wall, my movements quick and jerky.
Finally I made my way to the door, dropping off the wet towels in the towel bin. I clutched my shower bag tightly to my chest as I stepped out into the hallway, the lights bringing relief to me.
Auntie had said that I was safe now, but it wasn't the place I was afraid of, it was the dreams. She had said that my dreams were memories from my past, but did that mean that what I had just experienced was real? I wasn't sure if I wanted to know if that was real. I didn't want to know if that was how Sasuke died, the pain of knowing if it was would bring an unwilling sadness and heartbreak to me.
He was an ice cube bastard, I couldn't have feelings for him just because in the past I did. No way was that allowed.
I stared at the ground, tracing the patterns of the wood with my eyes as I walked, deep in thought. Just as I neared my door the one next to it opened. I glanced up and froze, almost tripping over myself in the process.
Could this get any more ironic, and weird?
In front of me stood the Jackass himself in all his glory.
Glory doesn't even begin to describe this man.
He stared at me silently, his hand holding a black towel and bag. He wore a black shirt and white baggy shorts with worn sneakers on his feet. It looked like he had just done some serious exercising, from the dirt visible on his pants and his hair all over the place.
Unconsciously I stared at his muscles, slick with sweat and lick worthy.
"Come to get your thong back?" He spoke smugly, his face breaking out into a smirk. I tried to glare at him but I couldn't, not after everything. I just couldn't get up the power to hate him when I had just seen what could have been his death.
And his seduction.
I felt my face heat up at that thought, of his lips on my skin and his hands undressing me slowly. It had felt so real that I could imagine the heat on my skin, his smooth lips, his fingers.
Just staring at him made me want to drop my things and jump him. These feelings scared me, and motivated me at the same time. They dragged me in two directions, my brain telling me to walk away and my body telling me to just let go and attack him with my teeth and lips.
I tried to open my mouth and say something but I couldn't, not with all these thoughts running around in my mind at once.
"You're all sweaty," came out before I could even register that I was speaking. That had not been what I had wanted to say but it was out there now.
"Yes, that tends to happen when you exercise. Checking me out?" His tone still held that smugness and I finally found enough anger to glare at him. If he wanted to be an arrogant asshole then that was fine by me, but I wasn't going to stick around to see it.
Turning towards my door I pulled out my key, my hands shaking. Thankfully I was spared the embarrassment, the key sliding into the hole easily. Twisting it, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. I didn't bother to look back since I wasn't sure I could handle seeing him standing there another moment, the smirk on his face so similar to the one in my dream.
"I'll take that as a yes." I closed the door quickly, at the last moment slowing down so that it didn't slam. No need to wake Hinata this late.
Realizing I didn't know the time I walked into our bedroom and looked at my new alarm clock. 12:23 it read.
Why had he been up so late exercising? It striked me as odd that he would stay up till midnight just to push some weights. If that was what he was doing. Maybe he went for a jog…in the middle of the night.
Deciding that I didn't really have the brain space to think about what he could be doing at twelve in the morning, I quickly changed into my pajamas.
Hinata was already in bed, her front facing the wall. I could faintly make out little bunny slippers near the end of her bed on the floor which made me smile.
I lay down and mimicked Hinata, my back facing the middle of the room. As I settled down the silence soothed me into sleep.
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Sasuke swung his katana, the metal slicing through the air and making a whoosh noise. The katana sliced and diced at invisible enemies, his feet sliding across the floor as he preformed the dance of steel.
Suddenly this feeling consumed him, making him freeze.
It was like nothing he had ever felt before. The need to protect ran through him, along with this need to seduce. It ran through his body and compelled him to do things he had never felt the need to do before.
Sakura's face came into his mind just as quickly, and the blood in his veins ran hot and heavy for her. And this feeling wasn't supposed to be happening either. She was involved in all of this ironically, the one person he planned to avoid the most.
It wasn't that she was obsessed with him; she seemed to ooze with hatred and irritation for him. Normally he would have enjoyed this, one less person obsessed with him was a relief, but instead it bothered him to the core.
So much so that it had driven him to tease and flirt with her, to find some little part of her that was infatuated with him just so that he could go back to hating her. But she had held her own, and when she had become speechless with his remarks he had felt a tug of male satisfaction instead of hatred.
Finally the need to seduce started to fade and Sasuke was able to start practicing again, unfortunately the need to protect rose along with a feeling of terror.
Without thinking Sasuke set his katana in the weapons room and ran out in a full sprint as some unknown reason drove him on.
Cutting across the park and roads he had raced full speed into the dorm, the silence disrupted with his harsh breathing and pounding footsteps. The feeling became stronger as he ascended the steps three at a time, guiding him to his own floor.
Once there he froze as he took into account the empty hallway. Anger ran through him, anger at himself and at these feelings. If he couldn't even control his feelings then how was he suppose to control everything else going on?
Deciding that he mind as well take a shower and go to bed, Sasuke walked into his room and grabbed his shower towel and shower bag.
Naruto lay in his bed, his head near the end of the bed and his feet on his pillow. A long snore came out of him and Sasuke quickly made his way back to the door, not wanting to stick around and give Naruto a chance to wake up and bother him.
He heard someone coming down the hall as he opened the door and looked up, faltering in closing the door.
There stood the frustration that set his mind in a whirlwind. Her pink hair was damp and hung around her face as she stared at the ground and headed towards him.
Shock ran through him but he kept his face neutral as she looked up and stopped. Sasuke fought the urge to reach out and steady her as she nearly tripped and fell on her face, but at the last moment she steadied herself.
Sakura's face also held shock as she stared at him. The longer she stared, the more her face heated up till it resembled a tomato, his favorite food. That thought didn't help as he fought the feelings inside of him.
Sasuke tried to think of something to say, anything to say, but her stare made him speechless. Her eyes traced down his muscled arms and chest and seemed to ignite an even greater heat in him than he ever thought possible. The things he wanted to do to her were smothering his mind, and making it unbearable to resist.
"Come to get your thong back?" Sasuke's voice unintentionally had a smug tone to it. He couldn't help the smirk that came to his face, or the feeling of pride that he had her thong, only him. Even though no other guy was in the hallway, or even hearing distance, he still felt protective of Sakura, and he didn't like it one bit.
He didn't like the instinct to pull her to him and do things he had never thought of doing to anyone else.
Sasuke hated it. With a passion.
"You're all sweaty."
Sasuke's mind snapped back to her, his anger at himself making him even more of an asshole than he wanted to be to her.
"Yes, that tends to happen when you exercise. Checking me out?" Sasuke knew that she was, her eyes staring at his body evidence enough, but he still wanted to say it. The hope that she would say she was made him even angrier.
Sakura glared at him, her face twisting into irritation.
That's right, hate me. Sasuke thought. He hoped that if she hated him maybe she would go into her room and leave him to his misery. Leave him to beat up his mind and get under control the emotions coursing through him.
She took a step forward and unlocked her door before stepping in, not even bothering to look back at him.
"I'll take that as a yes," Sasuke told her as she closed the door quietly. That should piss her off enough to give him a few days to sort out everything.
Sasuke stared at the closed door for another moment before heading down the hall. Opening the door to the guy's bathroom he quickly made sure that no one else was there before he slumped against the wall, his hands holding his head.
Mixed emotions ran through him, frustration making him clutch his hair. Why was he feeling this? He shouldn't be, not for her, not for anyone.
Sasuke stood up, deciding that showering would be better than moping around like a weakling.
As he showered he allowed the steam and sprays of the water to wash away the thoughts in his mind and allow him to relax. He quickly finished up before heading back to his room, eager for a new day with fewer complications.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I woke to the birds chirping outside the window. My whole body felt relaxed and I was tempted to just lay there for another hour.
The door opened and Hinata walked in, her shower bag in her hand. I sat up as she set her things down on her bed, my pajama shorts twisted up to my ribs. How uncomfortable.
Especially the wedgie.
"Good morning Sakura," she said quietly before she disappeared into her closet.
"Good morning, do you have class this morning?" I asked as I watched her come back out in some shorts and a white hoodie. She nodded as she quickly slipped on her sneakers.
"Yeah and I'm running late so I'll see you later," she headed towards the door but quickly turned around, startling me. "Do you want to catch lunch after?"
"Yeah sounds great," I told her. She nodded and ran out the door while looking at the watch on her wrist. I sat there for a moment, staring at the closed door. It felt good to have a friend here. It made me feel somewhat normal, if that was possible.
My alarm clock suddenly went off, startling me. The numbers stated that it was 8:42. The sound continued to echo around the room as I tried to calm my racing heart while I thought back to yesterday. I didn't remember setting the alarm which was now screeching in the room loudly.
"Who set you?" I spoke to the little plastic contraption while trying to find the off button. Suddenly my phone started to blare along with it, making me wince. I bet the people in the next room over were probably starting to get annoyed.
At that thought I smirked, tempted to leave the electronics blearing. Hey while I was at it minus well expect the TV to start blasting too, not that I minded. Maybe Sasuke would get so annoyed that he would move to another room. See if ice face liked that.
I picked up my cell phone from its perch on my desk.
"Hello?"
"Ah, I see the alarm clock worked." I gaped at the phone. Auntie had set it? That last time she had been in here she hadn't been anywhere near it, at least not near enough to set it without me knowing. But I guess that's how she was, sneaky and cunning.
"I was awake before that," I told her while turning back to the alarm clock, my attempts at turning it off failing. "How do you turn it off?"
"There is a small button on the side," she said before the line went silent. When I finally managed to find the small button, and by small I mean super small, she started speaking again. "You don't have class today so I thought you might like to stop by the martial arts gym to get started with practice."
"I'd like that. What time?"
"How does nine sound?"
Just my luck. I thought. I could go practice and come back for a quick shower before meeting Hinata for lunch.
"That's perfect."
"Alright, I'll pick you up to show you where it is, goodbye Sakura." Before I could respond she hung up. I set the phone down before running to my closet, excitement bubbling in my stomach. The fact that I would probably leave with bruises covering most of my body and aches in placed I had forgotten about made me giddy to get there.
I picked out some comfy shorts and a tank top before putting on my sneakers. I had managed to find some sports bras in the bra drawer which made me glad that Auntie had gotten me clothes. It was one thing to practice in a normal bra, it was a totally different thing to practice in a sports bra. Normal bras were for normal days, sports bras were for getting dirty and sweaty. Unless getting dirty and sweaty was a normal thing for someone.
Now I just sounded weird, thinking about the bonuses of bras and their comfort rating.
I headed downstairs and grabbed a bagel, my stomach begging to be fed. The clock over the microwave read 8:55 and I quickly finished buttering my bagel and headed outside.
I watched as people walked in and out of the dorms lining the street, heading in different directions. Some of them gave me curious glances while others just walked by, their minds too busy on the classes they were heading to or had just came from.
A sleek black car zoomed down the street and passed me, turning the corner. I watched as it passed and disappeared. I looked back in front of me but stopped as I spotted my Auntie crossing the street. I hadn't even noticed her walking across the park, she had just appeared out of no where.
"Ready to go Sakura?" She asked as she gave me a warm hug. We headed back across the street and into the park, quickly going a different way than we had yesterday.
We chatted as we went, her telling me about past memories and asking about how I liked the school, me asking different questions.
The martial arts gym was like a gym and dance studio combined. The main room had wooden floors with a large stack of mats off to the side. The walls held floor to ceiling walls mirrors that helped those practicing see their moves.
We walked into the main gym and we took off our shoes, leaving them in the shoes rack near the door. She lead me into the weapon room and started pointing out different weapons and their most dangerous attributes.
It made me nervous to be this close to so many weapons but we quickly went back into the main room. As we walked out of the weapons room she grabbed two katanas.
It wasn't until now that I noticed that she was also wearing workout clothes and I realized she would be my teacher, just like she said. I hadn't really thought about who would help me relearn everything but I hadn't assumed it was her. I would have expected her to ask one of the other teachers to help me, her being too busy as headmaster to get out of the office long enough. I was just starting to see her as a new person, someone who did what she wanted when she wanted, but still responsible.
"Okay, we'll start out slow with relearning the moves, and then at the end we can do some fighting." I nodded but I wasn't sure I would be ready for a fight yet. She seemed to sense my unease she rested a hand on my shoulder. "I will go very easy on you, don't worry, but I just want you to start getting back into the habit of using your instincts."
"That might take a while," I told her sheepishly. It was one thing if it had been only a few years, but we were talking about more than ten years, a time that could erase memories of the mind and body.
"No worries, you won't be rusty for much longer." And with that we were off into a familiar drill that had my arms aching and my body sweating.
We started with lunges and slices before moving into blocking. Even though my arms hurt I pushed through it, not wanting to disappoint Auntie and needing to prove myself.
"That's right, use your whole body not just your arms." I smiled at her praise. My muscles started to loosen up as my body slowly started to remember. I remembered gliding across the wooden floors of my parents' training room. The slicing sounds of air and clashing sounds of katanas meeting. The thuds of feet and hands on the floor and jumping through the air. It all started to come back to me, along with the feeling in my limps.
Auntie Tsunade noticed too, the grace that was slowly becoming apparent in my moves, although she didn't say anything. But the glint in her eye told me differently.
We stopped multiple times to take water breaks but I was too eager to stop for long. Even though Auntie seemed to notice my new found energy she didn't push me as hard as I would have liked. As the minutes ticked by and the counts of swings started to rise she started to push me harder, but not so much that it was unbearable.
I felt the sweat running down my back, down my neck, and down my arms. The wood felt cool under my feet and I watched as the mirrors reflected back my every move.
I could see my muscles in my legs flex in the mirror as I slid forward and whipped my katana through the air. A second later I spun around and slid my weight onto the balls of my feet as I raised my katana in a block. Then I swung it downwards in a wide arc, completing the set.
"That's enough for now Sakura," she said while coming up to me. "Are you ready to fight?"
"I think so," I said hesitatingly. I wasn't sure what I was ready for. It felt natural enough but I didn't want to go off thinking I would stand a chance if I couldn't.
"Okay then, let's see what you've got."
She raised her katana in a defensive stance and crouched. I mimicked her and we slowly circled each other, our eyes scanning for any opening. I decided to let her make the first move, figuring that by being on the defense I could protect myself and keep my eyes opening for any of her attacks.
My grip on my katana tightened as she charged forward, her katana posed ready for an attack. I put all my weight onto the balls of my feet and blocked her attack, pushing her back and slicing forward at the opening it presented.
She seemed to sense my attack before she saw it because she raised her katana to block mine before her eyes did. The clashing of metal ran steadily through the air and I marveled at the sound.
Suddenly my feet were swept out from under me and I was lying on my back. I tried to raise my hand but Auntie's foot held my wrist pinned to the floor.
I looked up and watched her pull back her katana from my neck and release my wrist, her hand reaching out to help pull me up. She swept some blond strands out of her face before looking at me in appraisal.
"You did very well for your first day."
"But I lost."
"Just because you lose doesn't mean you are not a winner," she said as we went into the weapons room and put our katanas back. "Plus you lasted much longer than the others did on their first day. They didn't even make it past the first attack."
"The others?"
"Some other students I taught." I stared at her. I had never known this, or that she even knew martial arts. I guess it made sense since it probably ran in the family.
As we walked out of the weapons room and headed towards the front door I glanced at the clock. It read 11:53. I was shocked that we had been practicing that long. Time had flown by as I swung my katana and moved around the room, fighting invisible enemies.
"Would you like to grab some lunch Sakura?" she asked as I bent to put on my shoes.
"I really wish I could but Hinata and I were going to get something to eat. You can join us if you want," I told her as I finished tying my shoes.
"Ah I'd love to but I'll leave you girls to your business, gossip and whatnot that you have to get caught up on. Maybe another time then." We headed towards the door and at that moment it opened, bringing in the sunshine and breezy wind along with the newcomer.
I was momentarily blinded by the sunshine. The inside of the martial arts gym was lighted but not as much as the outside. When my eyes finally adjusted I nearly groaned, my luck seeming to fail me like every other time.
"Ah Sasuke! Getting in some practice before your evening class?"
"Like always."
"Still the wiseass I see, well we'll leave you to your business then," she said with a wave as she walked by him and out the door. I took a step to follow her but Sasuke quickly blocked my path before I could get any closer to the door.
"Excuse me," I quietly said while staring past his shoulder at the door. I could feel his stare burning into my face but I refused to make eye contact with him. And why should I? He was a jackass and didn't deserve my time of day, or night.
"Were you practicing?" I wondered why he would care what I was doing here. Why should he care about anything but his Jackass self anyways, the jerk that he was.
"Yes, hence the sweat because you tend to sweat when you exercise." I threw his words right back at him, and he deserved it too. He had the nerve to be rude to me for no reason in the middle of the night. Forget his other worldly looks for one second and his attitude stuck out like a sore thumb. Plus, what had I ever done to him?
"I just wanted to know so that I would know to come later, when you aren't here." I gaped at him. But then I felt a smaller part of me shrivel up and die because I couldn't think of any reason for him to hate me. And because I knew to expect him to find some way to be a jerk, even when there wasn't any reason to be.
"Well now you know," I spoke quietly, the hurt overwhelming me and washing out the anger. I didn't know why it hurt so much either, and that scared me. I barely knew him, and what I did know of him was based on a dream that I wasn't even sure was real or not.
This pain, it felt like a paper cut, slowly throbbing in pain and always hurting no matter what you did. A paper cut on my heart, and it stung, badly.
His face softened for a second as regret twisted his features into a frown before it went back to its usual façade. I didn't even bother to say anything else as I walked past him and out the door.
Auntie stood there waiting, a knowing look in her face, but I didn't bother to say anything to her either. Why should I? She probably knew more than I did and she wasn't even the one having the sensual and mysterious dreams, or the issues with everything I come into contact with. Because that was just like me, to have bad luck and have everything possible fall down like a paper plane out of momentum.
We walked back to my dorm, her chatting about past achievements of the school and me listening intently, hoping to erase from my mind the hatred on Sasuke's face as he looked at me.
I watched as students passed by, trying to take my mind off everything that was bothering me. As we approached the dorms I saw a moving truck, the back opened and a man unloading a dresser.
"What's going on?" I had been here only two days but it still seemed odd that someone would bring their own furniture. The fact that the university provided top notch furniture should have ensured that no moving trucks would be needed, nor bed frames and dressers.
"Exchange students, they preferred their own possessions to the ones we were going to provide." Auntie rolled her eyes and eyed the huge truck as we got closer.
"Who are they?" I asked. It looked like they were going to be living in the dorm next to mine, and from what the furniture looked like, they were girls.
"Well their file said they were accepted a while back but they are just now transferring. I guess they had decided to try another university before this one and didn't like this one, and normally we don't allow them to do that, but they bought over the board."
"Is that even legal?"
"I suppose it is if they were able to do it."
"Why didn't they like the other school?" It seemed dumb to go through all the trouble of going to one college just to decide to go to another, plus the cost of it. But if they were able to buy over the board of a place like this then I guess they had the money to.
"I'm not suppose to be saying this, but it was because of Sasuke," she said with a sigh. I faltered in my steps and almost tripped over at her words. Why would Sasuke have anything to do with them coming here? If anything he should be a reason to leave.
Out of everything here, the class selection, the dorm rooms, the awesome campus, they chose him. I thought as I pictured the flawless perfection of this place. Out of everything here they were coming here for him. Him…
Yeah right.
"Why…what does he have to do with it?"
"Like all the other fangirls of his, they just had to be closer because they believe it'll increase their chances."
I snorted. Really. He may be hot but his attitude was that of a cactus. No, more like a pissed off cat that was just dunked in ice cold water. But seriously…fangirls? Was that even possible with his rudeness? Actually rudeness didn't even begin to describe what he was, nor did the word jerk.
As we got closer a girl came rushing out of the dorm and started pointing at things in the truck then the building. Once she was done yelling at the man she glanced around before her eyes settled on us. After barking out another order that I couldn't hear, she stomped over to us, a look of fury on her face.
"I specifically said I wanted two rooms in that dorm!" Her whitish blond hair swished down her back as she twisted around and pointed at the dorm I was staying in. I stared at her as if she was insane, not that I doubted she wasn't.
"I'm sorry Ami but there are no more rooms in that dorm, this was the closest we could get for you," Auntie Tsunade apologized, her voice holding no sympathy whatsoever.
"I don't care, I demanded that I be in that dorm where Sasuke—"
"What you demand and what we have are two completely different things. Now if you'll excuse me, I bet you still have a lot of unpacking to do before your class tonight, and I am currently very busy." I mentally cheered for Auntie, proud that she had put that blond bimbo in her place where she belonged.
"The things they'll do these days," I heard her mutter as we stepped onto the sidewalk.
"She's crazy if she wants to be in the same dorm as Sasuke. He's a block of moronic ice and I doubt she'll even get a crack of respect out of him, no matter how close she lives to him," I said sarcastically. But even though I said these things I couldn't help the little jealous bubble that flickered inside me. He may be a jerk, and more, but that didn't mean I wasn't any less upset with the fact that there were girls out there pining for him.
And willing to move from one college to another just to be near him.
Totally pathetic and insane at the same time.
My mind drifted back to Sasuke unfortunately. The psycho Ami girl had been able to take my mind off him for a moment, but her craziness had dragged up the horrible encounter that had happened earlier.
Auntie Tsunade seemed to sense my incoming thoughts because she gave me the motherly hen look.
"Sakura, even though things are looking down right now they will get better, I promise," she told me as we stopped in front of my dorm. I tried to smile at her but it came out like a withering grimace. Instead I opted to nod while I tried to find my voice.
"I know, and I'm fine, really." She hesitated for a moment, not sure if I was really fine. Her eyes roamed my face before she nodded and gave me hug before she walked down to the end of the street and disappeared around the corner.
I felt bad for lying to her, but I just couldn't get up the courage to explain to her why I was so down, not that I doubted she didn't already know. Plus the fact that there was a fan club going after Sasuke. How would that make me look? I didn't want to be labeled a fangirl because I wasn't one. Not now, not ever.
Her words rung around in my head and I wanted to believe her but it was hard to, especially when I thought things would and could get worse, not better.
They will get better. I told myself, but Sasuke's hate filled stare kept coming back into my mind and I for once wished she meant the problems I were having with Sasuke, and not the ones I were having with my abilities.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
So that's where I'll end it. I wasn't sure how to end this one because I didn't know if I wanted it to be a cliffhanger or not, but I guess it won't be. Unless this sort of counts as one.
Well, you know the drill: click, opinionate, submit=happy Riddler-of-Words :) or click, flame, submit=happy Riddler-of-Words!
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