Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. We actually don't own much besides the mountains of school textbooks and homework. We also do not own YouTube, because if we did, we could have sold it to google for millions. Shame we don't...
運命的な家族 Unmeiteki na Kazoku
Chapter 2
Sakura sighed heavily as she ran a delicate hand through her bright, pink hair. She was seated on a chair with her legs crossed beneath her. On the table, her books were strewn out in an array of multi-coloured handwriting. Among the papers were massive textbooks opened up to diagrams and figures. As a pre-med student, Sakura often found herself knee-deep in books, assignments, and a schedule booked full of commitments to studying, volunteer work at the hospital, and gymnastics. Life was certainly not easy for the young woman.
"Damn," she cursed when she realized the time. She swiftly dropped the pen and got up from her spot. There was still a good thirty pages left to get through in her pathologies text, but she'd get to it later. Instead, she moved across her single resident dorm room to grab her bag, the necessary items already packed and ready to go.
If it weren't for the fact that the gym was already so close to campus, Sakura would probably be as frequently late to her gymnastic practices as Naruto was to English class. Luckily, all was fine and she arrived with enough time to change. However, she managed to arrive at the same time as another one of the team's gymnasts.
"Billboard-brow," Ino greeted with a smirk as she came up beside Sakura. Together they walked from their dressing room and towards the gym. "I hear Naruto got a kiss from Sasuke, is it true?" Inwardly, the platinum blonde felt a pang of jealously, but was intrigued all at the same time. Her intrigue was further fueled by the recent formation of the SasuNaru club.
Sakura scowled at the thought and gave a short nod of her head. It wasn't something she was fond of remembering and really, it made her mad to think about it. That kiss was supposed to be hers and now that blonde idiot stole it from her. She would never forgive him!
Ino blinked at her steaming friend and pushed open the doors leading into the gymnasium; even she wasn't that angry about it, though it might have to do with the fact that she hadn't witnessed the kiss. "Was it that bad? A few of the girls I talked to seemed to think the whole thing was hilarious and some even told me it was cute. Though one of them did burst out in tears when I mentioned it..."
"The few girls I talked to wanted to murder Naruto. If you were there, you'd probably have ripped his guts out with one hand and strangled him with the other," Sakura said haughtily and Ino rolled her eyes. She wasn't that violent.
Ino opened her mouth to reply but closed it again when their instructor blew her whistle. She knew Sakura was going to rant about it more to her and she couldn't wait to get the juicy details from her. Depending on the story, she might actually hunt Naruto down with Sakura.
--
Sasuke was what one would call a prudent man. On his days off, instead of hanging out with friends or partying, he would go help his family with their family business. Some people would be happy to say that was because Sasuke had no friends. Others would be happy to bash those people's heads in. Sasuke would stoically ignore them and go about... helping his family.
No one really knew what Sasuke did when he said he would be busy doing work for his family business, though many girls had tried to follow him to find out. None had succeeded and some even received restraining orders for their efforts. Sasuke was nothing if not resourceful.
Among the world of celebrity and fortune, the Uchiha name was often spoken and on the very tips of many tongues. After all, many people in modern society concerned themselves with the inner workings of Uchiha Corp., because when a nation relied on oil and gas as much as this one did, it was subsequently found in the hands of those who bore the Uchiha name.
They were the nation's primary supplier of oil, drilling it from their vast reserves around the world, manufacturing it, and delivering it to the customers for the best quality and price. It was to no surprise that Sasuke, an heir to the business and fortune, would end up garnering so much attention from the masses. Not only was he from wealthy roots, but his family name had been respected for generations.
A handful of Sasuke's ancestors had served in law enforcement, protecting the city and its many citizens. That was the very reason the Uchiha family was so well-renowned and revered. It was also the reason girls swooned when Sasuke walked by. Then again, it could just be that he was devilishly handsome, with those deep pools of enigmatic eyes and stoic attitude. Really, what girl could resist?
However, even with all his prestige, Sasuke still ended up at a relatively normal university, among relatively normal students. When the announcement about his academic pursuits was made, many had questioned where, exactly, the family priorities lay. Were they with their son or with the success of the business, because surely a child as bright as he could get into a better school. The reason became known later when his acceptance into one of Japan's best dojo's was also announced. The university was located close to the dojo and allowed short commutes between classes and practices.
"Yea," Sasuke answered while he sifted through a pile of papers, a phone clutched against his ear. "I got the documents just yesterday. I haven't really had a chance to look through them."
The voice on the other line was one of ease and calm. "Don't worry too much about them if you're busy, young master," the man assured. "Your mother considers your schooling top priority."
"I know," Sasuke answered, sighing tiredly. "Tell her I'll send her my opinion on the proposal by the end of the week." He'd only just gotten back from classes and was already being hounded by his mother's personal assistant. Of course, work for the family business was prioritized below school, but Sasuke was determined to be involved in the company's endeavours as much as possible. He was expected to inherit everything one day.
"I will relay your message," the assistant replied politely. "Have a pleasant evening."
"Hn."
There was a click from the speaker end of his phone, indicating the other had hung up first. Sasuke shut off his phone and let it drop on his desk. He ran his hands through his hair while sliding forward in the chair, stretching out his legs and slouching against the backrest. There was so much to get done and in so little time, too. He knew that in a few hours he would need to meet with the preppy and perky girl from his English class. The smart one... something something. He couldn't quite remember her name. All that he could recall was her offending colour of bright pink hair.
He sighed and settled more comfortably in his chair to read the long documents, ignoring the taunting handout his teacher gave him for now. It wasn't due for a week anyway.
--
"So?" Ino asked, bumping shoulders with Sakura. She had just finished changing back into her regular clothes and the anticipation of satisfying her curiosity was killing her. "What really happened?"
Again, Sakura scowled at the thought and gave the other girl a curt answer. "Naruto went up to Sasuke and kissed him."
Ino raised an eyebrow. "That can't be it. Naruto hates Sasuke's guts. Spill!"
Sakura's face turned darker. In her mind, it was all Naruto's fault and that was that. Who else was there to blame except Naruto for that kiss? Certainly not Sasuke! Sasuke was perfect; smart and handsome and would not kiss an idiot like Naruto. Therefore, the fault could only land on the blonde-haired idiot.
"That's all that happened! They locked lips for a couple of minutes then pulled apart and started arguing with each other!"
A short tune interrupted their conversation and Ino reached for her cellphone to see what it was. It turned out to be a youtube link with a message that read: U NEED TO C THIS NOW.
She gave a sidelong glance to Sakura and muttered a 'sorry', clicking the link as they walked. Sakura shrugged and stayed silent as a murmur of noise came from Ino's phone. Suddenly shrieks came from the small device and Ino stopped walking to laugh, holding the phone up to her face. Curious, Sakura walked back and behind Ino and looked into the small screen. Her jaw dropped onto Ino's shoulder upon seeing Sasuke and Naruto in a lip-lock again. The two boys on the screen jumped apart a microsecond after she saw it but it was once again engraved into her mind. The camera moved away from the boys after they split apart and instead followed another boy slinking out of the room. Then it ended.
Ino pressed play again and Sakura jumped away from her to point an accusatory finger. "You're one of those fangirls too, aren't you?!"
The blonde ignored her and instead turned the screen towards the pink-haired girl. "Look, watch this part."
Sakura took a peek at it cautiously and watched as the guy from the last scene shoved his chair back, bumping into Naruto who in turn fell onto Sasuke. This was the point girls started screaming and a second later, the boys were wiping their mouths.
Okay, Sakura conceded to herself, maybe the kiss didn't last a couple of minutes, and maybe it wasn't entirely Naruto's fault, but did Ino really have to make her relive it again? That was twice in one day!
"Okay, so it wasn't as bad as I made it sound," Sakura admitted with defeat, "but you have to admit it was still pretty bad."
"Oh, c'mon," Ino said with a light laugh as she replayed the video for the third time. "They're sort of... cute."
"CUTE?! You think Naruto stealing my kiss from Sasuke is cute?!"
Ino's mirth only grew with her friend's reaction. "Yea," she insisted with a nod, "Naruto and Sasuke would make an adorable couple. SasUKE, you know," she ended with a giggle, still waving the phone around in Sakura's face. "Besides!" Ino stepped out in front of Sakura to stop the pink-haired girl's angry stomping. "It's not like we've ever seen Sasuke with any girls before. He could really be gay for all we know." Looking back to the screen of her phone, she whispered under her breath, "he probably is."
"No, no he isn't! He can't be gay!" Sakura rebutted with fury in her eyes. "I'm meeting him later and he... he just cannot be gay!" Her emerald eyes narrowed defiantly while, at its own volition, her foot tapped in irritation.
"What makes you think that?" Ino inquired, slyly leaning forward until their faces were inches apart. Deep down inside, she was hoping Sakura could come up with something good, because Uchiha Sasuke was a dreamboat of a man and even she didn't want to consider the possibility that he may swing the other way.
"Oh! That girl..." Sakura hummed pensively, snapping her thumb and index in mid-air while she searched for the name to the face. "That Hyuuga girl," she then informed, "he's nice to her! So, he has to be straight!"
The blonde quirked a brow incredulously. "She's a Hyuuga. He has to be nice to her." Ino then smirked and repositioned her stance, one hand on her hip. "Gee, you think they have an arranged marriage thing going on?" she teased.
"Ino! Who in their right mind has an arranged marriage in this day and age?" she questioned with a subtle pout.
"Uh, well, cultures where arranged marriages are traditional and among the wealthy," Ino paused briefly as her eyes wandered upward, "just imagine a merger between Uchiha and Hyuuga." Her jaw slowly dropped as she mentally calculated the wealth of the two families. Additionally, the merger of resources would lead to a promising future. Ino whistled appreciatively, though Sakura's eye twitched and she smacked the blonde over the head.
"Stop it, Ino! Don't talk about my Sasuke that way," she instructed, both hands fisted. Then she broke out from her anger and forced a smile. "I'm going to go home and get ready for my date with Sasuke," she replied snobbishly.
"Date?" Ino echoed, blinking her blue eyes confusedly.
"That's right. We're meeting for dinner."
Ino's lips twitched before she broke out into laughter, doubling forward and slapping her thighs. "Sorry," she said while finally found the energy to break from her mirth, "but I'll believe it when I see it."
"Just watch, Yamanaka Ino, you'll be eating your own words when I come to school with Sasuke on my arm!" Sakura puffed her cheeks childishly, stomping her feet in response to her friend's amusement.
"Oh, Sakura, that'll only happen when you sneak something out of that hospital gig of yours and drug him." Ino grinned cheekily. "Right, billboard-brow?"
"You'll see," Sakura warned with narrowed eyes, "I will be Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke before your lazy Shikamaru even gets you a bouquet of flowers." She snickered inwardly as she remembered all the different name combinations for her name and the Uchiha name. Her favourite was Dr. Uchiha, wife to the magnificent Uchiha Sasuke.
The blonde let out another uncontained laugh and waved her friend off. "Only in your dreams, Sakura."
--
It was nearly five o'clock on Naruto's battered desk clock and it watched with Shikamaru and Chouji as Naruto ran around the large room looking for clean, presentable clothing. Kiba, on the other hand, sat on the floor in the middle of the room looking through the contents of Naruto's also battered gym bag.
"Does anyone have a clean dress shirt? Or even just a clean shirt?" Naruto asked frantically, throwing dirty laundry around, a sock just missing Chouji's face. Chouji watched as the sock flew past, not bothering to answer the agitated boy while Kiba immersed himself further in Naruto's bag, reaching into the bottom of it and pulling out more dirty laundry.
Shikamaru sighed but made himself answer the pitiful blonde. "I should have one in the top drawer that me and Chouji share. It's blue, so don't go throwing out everything in there just to get to it," he informed lightly, leaning back on the low couch. Naruto sent him a bright smile and quickly changed his target to the large four cabinet drawer.
Kiba finally looked up from his position on the floor just as Naruto fished out Shikamaru's blue dress shirt. "Okay, I have everything packed in your bag. We'll all go to the cafe, bringing our bags so that it'll seem like we just came from practice," he said while standing up to stretch. He leaned back down again and picked up two small bottles. "I'll put these in the left side pocket so you'll have easy reach to them. You know which one is which, right?"
Naruto looked up from his buttoning and glanced at the different coloured bottles. He nodded and gave Kiba a thumbs up, pulling loose a few of the already inserted buttons which caused Kiba and Chouji to laugh.
"Oi, watch it," the lazy boy admonished quickly at the popping noise. It was his only nice shirt and his mother was going to kill him if he didn't have at least one, 'just in case'.
The blonde quickly dropped the cloth in his outstretched hand and gave Shikamaru a sheepish grin. "Sorry, sorry," he said loudly and gave a lazy salute. He quickly resumed buttoning, glancing at the old clock on instinct. "Agh, we have to get going! Hurry, hurry! Are you guys going?" he addressed the two just lazying around.
"Just to see you guys fail," Chouji conceded with a cheeky grin. "And the cafe's famous double-stack BLT sandwiches." Chouji started salivating at the thought and bounced up to grab his bag and coat. Shikamaru followed the larger boy's actions slowly and received evil eyes from the three already ready at the door. He rolled his eyes and herded them out, pulling the door closed behind him and hearing the automatic lock click into place.
--
When finally at the quaint cafe, Sakura scanned the place for a spot to sit. A glance at her watch told her she was a little early, but she had already decided there was no way she'd make Sasuke wait. He might just leave if she was late and she wasn't quite ready to risk that. So, with time to spare, the pink-haired girl found a small table in the corner, away from prying eyes. Perfect, everything would be perfect.
Her skirt was adjusted and pulled over her slender legs once she sat down. She had really pulled out her full supply of 'guy-magnet' artillery. Her slim body was sporting the best clothes she had, and her hair had been washed twice, conditioned, and then styled. The makeup upon her soft complexion was second to none, complimenting her green eyes and pink hair. If she had to say, Sakura thought she looked stunning. There was no way Sasuke could not notice her!
With dainty movements, Sakura retrieved her folders and placed them on the table. When she had asked Sasuke out, she hadn't thought much of what they were going to do. The project wasn't announced yet, and their only orders were to 'get along', so she brought the assignment that their teacher appointed. It was funny though, once everything was out and in place, she felt silly sitting all alone with nothing to do. Additionally, she was dressed really nice in comparison to the other patrons, making her feel out of place.
"Oh, thank goodness," she said softly to herself when she saw Sasuke finally walk up to the door. When the glass door was pulled opened, she waved fervently towards him from her corner. He returned it with a curt nod of acknowledgment, but no emotions passed his features. Sasuke remained as stoic as ever. "Hi," she said excitedly when he took the seat across from her.
"Hey," he returned apathetically. His bookbag was dropped to the side of his seat before he pulled out his things. Ah, so he had the same thoughts as her, Sakura noticed happily. This was a sure sign of their destined fate. The pages were dropped on the surface before he paid her a glance, causing him to raise a curious brow. His obsidian eyes wandered up and down her body before he asked, "are you meeting someone afterwards?"
"Ah, no! Just you," she answered with a nervous laugh. She could already feel her body getting hot with embarrassment and her back grow damp with sweat. In contrast to her, Sasuke had on a pair of dark jeans and a jacket adorning the dojo's name. He looked surprisingly normal for an Uchiha, but then that could just be because she had tried so damned hard to look good.
"Right, okay." Sasuke averted his eyes from hers. As far as he was concerned, she was just another fangirl. So, the best plan would be to get this done and over with as quickly as possible. "Is the dobe coming?"
"Dobe?" she asked, leaning forward to get a better look at his handsome face. Oh, she was so sneaky!
"Naruto," Sasuke informed while leaning back to get away from her sudden invasion.
"Oh, him!" She waved her hand and took the hint, leaning back as well. "No. With his grades, it'd be safer if we just worked on the project alone and put his name down at the end."
The Uchiha's face remained as stoic as ever, but his jaw seemed grit subtly. "If you want to do it that way, then you're taking his load," he informed sternly. "I'm not putting more work in than my fair share."
"Oh," Sakura said, but it soon turned into a slow nod, "no problem." Internally, she wondered if adding more work to her already busy schedule was worth the alone time with Sasuke, but then she decided it was. Oh, it was so worth it. When he nodded and went on to sort through the papers for their English class, Sakura struggled for a way to break the ice, a way to get him closer. "We should exchange numbers!" She exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Sasuke only looked at her. He didn't want to, not with another one of his loony fangirls, but she did have a point. For the efficiency of the project, he consented and pulled out his phone. It was readied to enter her name when he turned and asked with seriousness, "what's your name again?" He had remembered yesterday when Naruto was spouting off about her, but for his life, he couldn't remember at the moment.
Then there was a sound of something cracking. Oh wait; it was her heart shattering into a million pieces. She froze for a second but forced a smile onto her face, quickly gathering herself. "It's Sakura. My name is Sakura." They exchanged numbers quietly before Sasuke got up to buy food, not having eaten the whole day. Sakura gave him a strained smile as he went but stayed at the table to sulk.
She stared down gloomily at her folder and tried to make sense of what went wrong. She was assertive, she was confident, and she had introduced herself to him before, though granted, it was at the beginning of the semester. That had to be it. Sasuke's one flaw could be his bad memory!
Her heart carefully pieced itself back together as she sorted through her thoughts and her face lit up into a genuine smile. Sasuke probably had many girls going up to him and introducing themselves that he just couldn't keep track of who was who. It was so obvious that she gave herself a mental slap for being so silly. She then flipped open her folder and pulled out her half finished assignment to go over as she waited for Sasuke.
--
It was the end of October and night came easily. The sky was already dark by the time Naruto and his friends reached the cafe. The cafe lights sparkled at anyone watching from the outside but Naruto was hiding from those lights. He was behind a bush and creeping closer and closer to the large windows of the cafe, trying to see what Sakura and Sasuke were up to. The others didn't even realize he had sneaked off.
Naruto employed his imaginary ninja skills and popped his head above the low ledge of the bottom of the window. After seeing nothing but legs, he hid himself beneath the window again. He crawled forward on his hands and knees, wanting to secure a clear view of the entire restaurant. Just as he was about to pop his head over the ledge again, someone pulled him up by the neck of his jacket, causing him to give a quiet shriek.
He twisted around futilely, trying to see who had grabbed him as well as trying to keep his bag from swinging into the glass window. "What're you doing?" he asked quickly and quietly, not wanting to announce his presence to the patrons of the cafe they were in front of.
A sigh sounded behind him and then Shikamaru's voice sounded, "Don't wander off and do unnecessary things."
Naruto only huffed and flailed his arms, stretching the fabric of Shikamaru's nice dress shirt. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes and the desire to make his thoughts about how troublesome the situation was turning known, he let go of the blonde and sighed.
In response to his freedom, Naruto went back to snooping around the window. Although he could see mostly legs, he caught a flash of pink walk from the register to a corner of the cafe. It was still difficult to confirm the flash of pink as his Sakura, but chances were on his side. After all, how many people had pink hair?
He crawled across the underside of the window, occasionally bumping into a chair on the patio dining area. Luckily it was late enough in the year that most opted to dine inside. He had only earned one peculiar glance from a passerby. So he scurried along like a fox on the hunt, eventually coming onto his knees at another window. "Wow..." he said with awe, "Sakura looks amazing."
Shikamaru leaned against one of the deck tables and stifled a yawn. The other two boys peered through the window and gave simultaneous shrugs. "I guess she looks alright," Chouji commented with little interest.
"Yea, better than usual," Kiba added, "but not as pretty as..." he trailed off, listing names that no one cared to afford any attention to.
"Pft, whatever, man." Naruto ignored his friend and turned back to admire the young woman that caused his heart to thump a little faster. He pushed further into the glass, smearing an imprint of his face and causing a disgusted look from a patron who had seen him. The middle-aged man seated beside the window seemed profoundly unsatisfied with how his previously nice view had soured into... that. The blonde's cheeks were pressed so hard that they were flat and had pushed out any possible air pockets. His nostrils flared and the tip of his nose was pushed up much like pig a would look. Hot air escaped the holes and condensed on the glass, making the patron wonder if the boy looked more like a hog or a crazed bull. The manner in which his mouth hung open and dripped saliva stained the glass in a long string of transparent goop. The man by the window cringed and shifted his chair back when he noticed the manic look in the eyes of the boy outside. His eyes darted around the cafe, searching desperately for an escape route. Naruto remained oblivious to the man and maintained his locked gaze. "Oh... she's got amazing legs, too," he noted alongside a glint in his eyes.
While Kiba continued listing off names, Shikamaru rubbed his temples and sighed. "Are we going to do this or just play peeping tom all night long?" he asked but got no response. "Oi, Naruto!" He nudged the boy keeled in front of the window, but still got no response. "Oi!" He kicked the blonde's shin this time, causing Naruto to jump up and point an accusatory finger.
"You kicked me!"
"You ignored me," Shikamaru scoffed, leaning back against the table and letting his hands find their way back into his pockets.
Then just as Naruto prepared to stomp up to the lazy boy, there was a loud grumble and everyone turned eyes to Chouji. "What? I'm hungry," he defended.
"Yea! All the more reason to get this on!" Kiba declared while patting the shoulders of his friends, nudging them into a circle. Reluctantly, Shikamaru followed suit and got into the circle with the others. Their heads were bowed and arms were slung around the others' backs. "So, I'll cause the distraction," Kiba informed before nodding over to Naruto, "Naruto's got the goods and you two... uh, what the hell are you two doing?"
"Eating dinner," Chouji replied curtly. He smiled large and bright.
Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and patted his hand down to his pant pocket. "My phone has video recording?" Then his face contorted pensively, "though it is troublesome to figure out how to use."
"Great! Chouji will be casual and eat. Shikamaru will record," Kiba confirmed before a smirk crept across his lips, "you think we could rake in any money for an embarrassing video of the Uchiha Sasuke, heir to blah, blah, and junk?"
"Oh," Naruto grinned, "that'd be like throwing two stones with one hand... or something."
"Killing two birds with one stone," Shikamaru corrected. He had to fight against his inclination to smack Naruto. It was too troublesome, anyway.
"Yea, yea, whatever." Naruto waved off his friend and turned back to look into the cafe. "Let's just show Sakura how much of a wimp Sasuke really is."
They rounded back to the front of the store and headed inside with their usual excitement. Chouji walked straight to the line-up in front of the cashier, already looking up at the menu above the kitchen while Shikamaru shuffled towards an empty table. Kiba and Naruto entered loudly, talking about nothing significant but attracting attention because of their energy. Naruto broke off their conversation when the pink-haired beauty caught his attention.
He confidently strutted over to her and plopped down on a conveniently placed chair. Both occupants of the table looked up at his intrusion and seeing who it was, Sakura scowled. Sasuke already had an unpleasant look on his face and so his expression didn't change at all.
"Hi Sakura!" Naruto said brightly. Sakura's scowl didn't budge at his enthusiasm and she shifted her things away from his encroachment.
"What are you doing here?" she asked meanly. He was interrupting precious alone time with Sasuke and she wasn't going to stand for that at all. Sasuke then also discreetly displaced his papers and food away from the loud blonde. Naruto's focus on Sakura didn't waver but he cursed the rich heir for his movements.
"Well, we are in the same group and I plan to do my part for this project so I figured I should come and get to know you-you guys better." He corrected himself quickly and even gave Sasuke a sidelong glance. He continued on to take out some loose leafs for notes and presented the other two with a bright smile. Sakura continued to show her displeasure but didn't say anything. She wasn't thrilled at the thought of spending time with Naruto, but she was enrolled in five classes and had a very busy schedule. She couldn't afford to take on two-thirds of the project by herself. With Naruto doing it, even if it wasn't up to par, she would only have to correct the mistakes instead of spending hours on the work.
Sasuke grunted and Sakura gave them a strained smile. "I, I guess you can stay, if Sasuke doesn't mind?" Half of her was pleading for Sasuke to say no, to tell Naruto to bugger off so they could spend time together, and the other half was indifferent; Sasuke neither agreed nor disagreed, giving a quiet 'hn' instead.
At the noise, Naruto had to restrain himself from physically harming the well-loved boy. Sakura had asked him a question and he should have answered it! But Naruto couldn't make a commotion right now; he was supposed to get along with both of them. Instead, the blonde gripped his pencil tighter and watched as Sasuke turned to take a bite out of his sandwich, ignoring him and Sakura.
Sakura quickly filled Naruto in with what they were doing, and then told him he could get some food before they resumed. It was just when Naruto stood up that Kiba started the first part of the plan.
Bloakie's A/N: Next we have the Sabotage, The Plan. You know. Hopefully the pace will pick up if you find it too slow right now. But we wouldn't know because no one's given us feedback. On that note, please do! Give us some c&c and tell us what you liked and didn't like! We hope to improve. :D
Cloakie's A/N: There you have it! Chapter 2 complete and yea... I think this served to introduce the lifetyles of Sasuke and Sakura mostly. Sakura is annoying and all, but this portrayal of her gives us room to develop her character. So bear with us. Also, we didn't get much feedback for chapter 1... actually, we didn't get any at all. haha. Some constructive criticism would be nice. With that said, thanks for reading and I encourage you to push that little review button and leave us your thoughts.