Chapter 10

Ino watched in boredom as Sakura fussed around her closet looking for clothes. She sat impeccably on the end of the bed while behind her Karin lay on her stomach propped up on her elbows to watch Sakura rushing around her room.

According to Sakura this was the big day, the day that made it exactly one week since she vowed to win Sasuke back and this was the deadline. Sakura was so confident she would win it was almost sickening. Don't get her wrong, she liked Sakura, she was her best friend, but no one should be this confident over something like this. She had confidence in Sakura's seduction skills but she also knew the young Uchiha was stubborn and if he didn't like you he hated you. Or at least came pretty close to hating you. Ino didn't expect much, nothing Sakura could do would work on Sasuke, but she'd support her anyway and pick up the pieces when the inevitable fall came. Sakura was her friend, her best friend, her only true friend. She couldn't just leave her on her own. She'd support her even if it meant giving her false hope.

Karin on the other hand, could go die for all she cared. Not literally, but pretty much. She didn't care much for the girl but it paid to have a lackey. They were good for a few things. Karin was good at what she needed her to be good at. Otherwise she wasn't of much use but to make up numbers though.

"Ino!" Sakura called and Ino's attention snapped to her. She couldn't believe she zoned out and in front of Sakura and Karin too. "You staring into space isn't helping me. Now choose this or this."

This brought Ino's attention to the two sets of clothes in Sakura's hands. She shifted them before her periodically. Personally Ino couldn't care less. It wouldn't matter what Sakura wore she would get the same end result.

"Either will do." Ino answered with a smile.

XX

The morning was lovely and that's saying something coming from Sasuke Uchiha. He actually felt happy when he woke up, while he got ready, when he saw his brother eating the last of HIS cereal, on his way to school. Naturally anything that lovely had to come crashing to an end. That end came in the form of a certain someone he was loathe to be around.

"Hey Sasuke." the pink haired annoyance said to him. She had run over to him the moment he stepped out of the car and had caught him halfway to the doors of the school. It was a miracle she could even run in those heels.

"What?" he answered just for the sake of not having to push her out of the way to pass. He was used to slipping past defence on the field but evidently Sakura was good at basketball and would keep him where he was. She just wouldn't let him past.

"Just wondering if you had anything to tell me." she said smiling like an idiot in his opinion. She was unusually happy this morning. Too happy. To be truthful, her happiness bothered him.

"Why would I have anything to tell you?" he asked her dryly. He just wanted to get away but he couldn't bother to ruin his day any further than it already was and that's what would happen if they made a scene. He could live through this, someday or another. "I don't even want to talk to you much less be near you."

"That's because you can't handle it." she said giving him her best 'I know you want me look' that just caused him to frown at her in irritation. Wasn't she done with this yet? He was over and done with it. This was getting old.

"What do you want Sakura?" he asked hoping she would just back off already. He was getting tired of this. There was only so much of her he could take now.

"To give you what you want." she said cryptically. He maintained a black look at that statement. This couldn't be good. Any kind of cryptic statement like that coming from her was bound to cause him some problems.

"And what do I want?" he asked in exasperation and she gave him a coy smile before placing a hand on his shoulder. That only served to have him wishing for a barf bag. Could this get any worse?

"You want me." she concluded. He pulled her hand off him and dropped it away from his body as he was hit with a wave of disgust. She frowned at the movement. This wasn't how she had expected it to be.

"You're dumber than I thought." Sasuke said pushing past her to resume his walk to the school. This was all just a waste of time. His was ruined. He could tell it was.

"You want me Sasuke." she asserted coming after him. He didn't look back at her. He didn't have to or want to.

"Even if you submitted your entire being to me for me to use in any way I see fit, I would still say no." he called back to her. She came to a stop but he continued walking.

"You'll be begging by the end of the day. You're going to want me so bad." she said with such conviction it only served to anger Sasuke more. What was wrong with this girl? Nobody told him what he felt or what he wanted and he most definitely would not beg for anything. Least of all from her.

"The only thing I'd want from you is your head on a pike." he told her before disappearing into the school. He may have only seemed mildly annoyed on the outside nut he was boiling mad on the inside. There was only so much he could take.

Sakura stared after him. This wasn't over yet.

XX

By the time Sasuke had any classes with Hinata he was furious to the point of unconsciously making juniors and quite a few others wet themselves with a look. Every class he had with Sakura consisted of her continuously throwing looks at him, trying to give him shots at her cleavage and trying to touch him. Breaks consisted of her trying to convince him he wanted and needed her and that they belonged together. It pissed him off. He had skipped lunch because of it. This whole thing was a huge tick off.

"What wrong?" Hinata asked the moment he threw himself into the seat beside her. He shot her a look and saw her looking back at him with a look laced with concern.

Hinata didn't cower under the glare of doom being dealt to her because all that anger wasn't really being directed at her. She hadn't caused it, she wouldn't suffer for it. At least she didn't think Sasuke would take it out on her. She was proven right when he huffed and looked away from her. A little of his anger was gone on that breath.

"The little pink bitch won't leave me alone." he answered and Hinata took it to mean Sakura was pestering him. Not many people could be defined as 'pink' in the school.

"I guess it's only natural." Hinata mused as she prepared her books for class. She could understand the annoyance that was radiating from Sasuke in waves but she could guess the reason for Sakura's behaviour as well. "She should be a little desperate since it about a week today."

"A week?" he asked with a raised brow. If she was talking about the break up that would be about two weeks. There was nothing he could remember that happened a week ago.

"Yes." Hinata said and began to tell him about what she had overheard in the bathroom a week ago. He listened with a frown as she spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Sasuke asked when she was finished. It would have prepared him for the he'll that was today.

"I didn't think it would have made a difference. Your answer would still be the same, wouldn't it?" she said and Sasuke thought about it for a moment. She did have a point.

"I guess not." he answered and she nodded in agreement. Knowing would have made him possibly a little more vicious today.

"It poses a problem though." Hinata said thoughtfully, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. He waited for her to continue. "At some point you may have to push her away with the knowledge that you are, well, taken."

The blush that over took her when she said the last word caused Sasuke to smirk. That was still interesting. He'd have to see it more often.

"If Sakura knows then everybody will know. I think it's best if we tell them, our friends, ourselves before she finds out." Hinata continued.

"You do have a point." he agreed.

"Ok. You tell Neji. I'll tell Temari and Ten-ten. Please don't tell Naruto. He doesn't need to be told and it would probably get annoying if he knew." she said with a frown.

"Why would I? He has nothing to do with you anymore. I'm only telling Neji because he's your cousin, brother, something. What do you call him anyway?" he asked slightly confused. He had always wondered about that. Neji was their cousin and their adoptive brother.

"He's both but we refer to him as brother." she clarified. He nodded in understanding. She continued on the original path of conversation. "I suggest we do it today before she gets more persistent."

"Alright." he agreed and Hinata smiled at him. He smirked. "Can I get a kiss later?"

"Sasuke!"

He was officially in a better mood now.

XX

Sakura was a wreak. Ino was trying her hardest though. They were in the bathroom wasting away the last minutes of school. Sakura had been crying for a few minutes now

"School's almost over, Ino and he's ignoring me." Sakura whined over the sink. Ino patted her back. "What if he still doesn't want to?"

"You can try again. There's still football practise." Ino reassured her even though she knew two extra hours wouldn't matter. It was bad enough that it was after school but those guys were focused when it came to practise or anything football related for that matter. The inevitable would happen. Why did her friend have to fall so hopelessly for one of the toughest guys to crack on school? Couldn't she have gone out with Lee? Lee was crushing on her since she first stepped onto the school. It would have been easier. Heck, even Naruto had a crush on her at their previous school. The guy wouldn't stop following her. It just had to be Sasuke didn't it.

"You think I could do it?" Sakura asked unsurely looking for reassurance in Ino's eyes. Ino gave her just that.

"Yea you could." she said with a smile and leaving the 'if it wasn't Sasuke' unsaid. Sakura's face lit up with determination as she began getting herself together. Ino helped her all the while thinking that maybe she shouldn't condone this. Maybe she was helping this mess get messier.

The school's football field wasn't impressive but it was well kept. The green was well manicured, the track around it was always marked perfectly and the bleachers were always litter free. It was on these litter free bleachers that Temari, Ten-ten and Hinata decided to sit and watch the team practise. Ten-ten had one of her few breaks from track practise and had decided to treat herself with actually watching the guys and her boyfriend practise and train their bodies into the awesomeness that is physical fitness. Needless to say, they were enjoying it. It was half way through this that Hinata finally broached the topic that had been on her mind since her talk with Sasuke.

"Remember on Saturday when I said I liked someone?" he said and both girls switched their attention to her. They both nodded but Temari's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Well we're dating now."

"Say what?" Temari commented frowning. Don't get her wrong she wasn't angry or anything just surprised and not entirely sure about this guy that she knew nothing about. Call her protective because that's what she is.

"Really?" Ten- ten asked. It was surprising that it happened so quickly.

"Since when?" Temari asked and Ten-ten was just as interested.

"Sunday." Hinata told them and they both thought about it for a moment. It was definitely quicker than they thought it would be.

"Can we know who it is now?" Ten-ten asked excitedly. Temari was grinning brightly. This had been bothering her for a while too.

"Sasuke." she told them with a small blush. Admitting it to others was so much different from thinking about it once in a while. Both girls froze in shock.

"Are you shitting me?" Ten-ten asked and Temari stared at her in shock instead. Ten-ten blushed a little and scratched the back of her neck nervously at the looks from both girls. "What?"

"We will discuss your sudden statement and use of mild curses later. I'm the only one allowed to say stuff like that Bunion." Temari told her causing the girl to glare at her. Ten-ten hated that nickname. It sounded like a boil of something even if Temari was just referring to her buns. Temari turned to and asked:. "Seriously?"

Hinata nodded

"This week is just full of surprises and it's only Tuesday." Temari said running a hand through one of her four puffs. She froze when a thought hit her at Ten-ten's next words.

"Yea. First the clothes now we find out you're dating Sasuke."

"The change of clothes isn't because of Sasuke is it?" Temari asked her glare was already coming up with her suspicions. If that guy was bright enough to make Hinata change herself for him, she was going to sock him in the face.

"No Temari. Remember I told you about that surprise on Saturday before he asked me." Hinata said to calm her friend. She didn't want to see Temari attack Sasuke on one of her campaigns to 'protect' her. She probably thought Sasuke was forcing her to change.

"Why did he ask you anyway?" Ten-ten then asked.

"Don't know. He said he wouldn't ask me if he didn't like somethings about me." Hinata told them and they both stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. It was all surprising to them. They glanced back at the field to where they could make out Sasuke doing exercises between Naruto and Suigetsu. "Hello? Are you two still here?"

"Sorry. Still getting over the shock of you dating Sasuke. Isn't he your ex's best friend? Isn't there some kind of rule about that?" Temari asked only sparing her a glance. She was still watching Naruto speak animatedly to Sasuke.

Hinata shrugged. "Sasuke doesn't care. I don't either. It shouldn't matter to Naruto who I date right? He likes Ino now."

"Does he know?" Ten-ten asked.

"No. We're not telling him." Hinata answered turning her attention to the field as well. They were almost finished from what she could tell.

"Well, as long as you're happy and you know what you're doing." Ten-ten conceded with a sigh and a smile. "I'll support you."

"Me too," Temari agreed with a smile then her face became severe. "But I swear if he hurts you he's dead!"

"Yes mother." Hinata said rolling her eyes. They soon realised that the practise was over and began to leave the stands to wait on the boys. On their way down Hinata caught Sasuke's eye when he was on his way to the locker rooms and gave him a thumbs up. He gave her a discreet nod and continued on his way. It was his turn to talk to Neji. He could only hope Neji wouldn't kill him.

When quite a few of the guys had gone to shower he turned to Neji. They were only changing their clothes since they both had decided to shower at home instead.

"I need to talk to you." he said to him and Neji spared him a glance as he continued getting dressed.

"The thing doesn't work?" he asked and Sasuke shook his head.

"It works. That's not what I want to talk about." he said and Neji looked at him with a raised brow. "I'm dating your sister."

Neji stared at him for a moment before giving him a once over then narrowing his eyes and staring again. Sasuke could feel him analysing him. "Ok."

"Ok?" Sasuke asked quizzically. This wasn't what he was expecting.

"I'm assuming you mean Hinata so ok. If you mean Hanabi that's another story." Neji told him and Sasuke stared at him surprised.

"It's Hinata." Sasuke said and Neji nodded. "I'm surprised it went so well considering."

"Considering?" Neji asked sitting on the nearest bench to pull on his shoe.

"Considering the whole Naruto thing." Sasuke said rummaging in his locker. He couldn't find his watch.

"What Naruto thing?" Neji asked but continued to put his shoe on.

"The break-up. Why he broke up with her."

"He broke up with her?" Neji asked quizzically and Sasuke finally found his watch. Sasuke turned to look at Neji's clueless frown and realisation dawned on him.

"You don't know..." Sasuke murmured. He could not believe this. Well, now he knew why Naruto wasn't in pieces yet. Sasuke's surprised tone set of warning bells in Neji head and his frown deepened.

"What Naruto thing?" he asked darkly. Was she keeping things from him? He thought she broke up with him or they had at least left on good terms.

"He dumped her for Ino and told her he never loved her." Sasuke answered. It wouldn't help to hide it from him. He'd be in trouble if he did.

"He did what?" Neji growled.

"Told her everything was a lie and he's 'in love' with Ino now." Sasuke told him. He could practically see Neji's mind make a dark turn and he could see the anger bubble up in his twitching brow and grit teeth. He could even see the Hyuga family trait bringing up the veins around his eyes as he seethed. Neji took a deep breath and calmed himself into stillness.

"Where is the blond dweeb now?" Neji said in an overly calm tone.

"Showering I believe." Sasuke answered looking around at the almost deserted locker room. Quite a few of the others had left already. He could hear the shower running though. Naruto always took so long. He sent Neji a flat look, slamming his locker shut. "Should I vacate the room?"

"Yes. Please." Neji said in the same overly calm tone. "The entire school would be a good idea."

"Don't kill him. We need him on the field." Sasuke told him as he grabbed his bag and left the room. People would say he was leaving his friend to the wolves but Naruto provoked the wolf so he had to deal with it.

It must be said that Naruto came to school the next day in great amounts of pain.

I'v got a question: What colours do you thinkrepresent the Uchiha clan?