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Chapter 16
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Cold
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The hallways were rowdy during that break time, like all other spots in other campuses. The uniforms were in the color of pale brown. The lobby was a bit smaller than Konoha Academy and dozens of walls in the building were made of reddish bricks.
I watched the undergraduates as they walked and loitered around the lobby. Some were carrying textbooks and paper cases; others were holding food or softballs on one hand. It was a regular university, yet it felt like there was something missing. I wasn't sure if maybe it was because I was already used to being part of the underworld that was why I felt something was lacking.
All the students looked ordinary now for me, all unaware of what the world was really like outside the campus and their homes.
I marched slowly away to the entry, where a spacious parking lot greeted the comers. The school leaflets and procedure guide were in my hands.
Tokyo Institute, the third school I had visited and inquired for the day. So far, all three schools looked decent and had that promise of good learning quality for visitors. It had been half a year since I last stood in a normal school. But I couldn't help shaking off the feeling that there was something missing. There was emptiness in them. I got too used to being with Mortis Org and being tortured, perhaps. I hated that undecided air that hung in my head.
I had decided that if ever I was going to transfer, I was going to do it within a week or two. I hadn't mentioned it to my folks since they thought I was still attending classes in Konoha until now. Truth was, I'd been absent for the third day in a row now. I had to sneakily cut off our telephone line and kept frequent checks in the mail to see that no word from the office had reached them yet.
I spent most of the last few days sulking, sleeping and roaming quietly around the city with a thick muffler and a bonnet. My parents were both out today to visit my aunt in some shop downtown. So I unworriedly rummaged in the kitchen and fixed myself some hot tea when I got home.
It was a chilly, lazy day. I only wore two layered of sweaters, white pajama pants, and a pair of thick, purple socks as I stirred the tea and leaned my elbows against the cold, pale green tiled surface of the kitchen counter. I stared blankly at the swirl of brown liquid and watched the thin vapour emanating out of it.
"So. What's bothering you?"
I almost bump the top of my head against the bottom plane of the kitchen cabinets above me in surprise. I turned to the side and saw Sarutobi in an Indian sit on one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table. He was wearing a white, long sleeved, V-neck shirt with criss-cross patterns at the seams. His arms were crossed together and a mug of (I was guessing) hot green tea with a hint of lemon and sake rested at the table before him. He looked like he just got out of his Pilates session today.
"You scared me!" I exclaimed. "When did you get here?"
"Just a minute ago." he said.
"Don't you at least use the doorbell or something?"
"I planned to do so before, but thought it might have also been cut off, just like the telephone line."
"So you know already, huh?" I only turned back to my cup and took a sip from it.
It was not much of a surprise. He practically knows everything.
"I should've known you'd be like this sooner or later."
I didn't reply and only remained facing down. He sat five feet away from me and he could see the right side of my face.
"Kakashi called me this morning. Said you haven't showed up in the school for the third time this week. He was getting concerned and said I might whip you up into a better shape." he spoke.
"Don't you have other work today, Grandpa?"
"'Course I do. And I had to hold it for a moment just to see my little, bratty, stubborn weasel of a granddaughter."
"I don't fit in there. Not really."
He could read my thoughts without me saying a word about it. It was his talent. Somehow he knew things that were unspoken.
"Do you think I entered the Mortis Guild as simple as joining a book club? It wasn't an easy decision. I acquired a lot of broken bones first before being captain of one of the teams."
"You were already trained in the fleet for years before entering the guild, Grandpa. And besides, you're a man. Men have better physical strengths than women."
"True. But women can be really sturdy and domineering if they want to. Do you know that Tsunade can crush me like an insect even with her D cup size?"
"She's gifted."
"And I do believe you can even surpass her if you really want to."
"I'm miserable in that stupid school. Do you know how many chewed gums I have to scrape off my things every day after school? It's more like an institute for bully wannabes."
"Well... see it as a test instead. A test of patience and strong will."
"I'm not even sure if it's worth it."
There was a minute of silence as I looked down my cup.
"And you're not planning to attend the party before the holidays, I'm guessing?" he said evenly.
I sent an email earlier to Rock Lee today, saying that I won't be able to attend the Christmas party in the academy today due to a bad cold. I felt guilty of lying to him, so I merely typed at the end of the note that I'd make it up to him during the holidays. Perhaps we could go see a movie some time during the brief vacation.
"Of course, you know that I can't force you to do something you don't really want to. And I'm not someone who can make tough decisions for you." Sarutobi said as he drank from his mug. "Just make sure to think about it for a good while. Then after that, decide on your impulse, or what you feel like you should do."
I placed my chin on my hand and stared vacantly at the wall, my back still turned to him.
"Maybe you should've been a boy after all." I heard my grandfather grunted.
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Naruto was a bit uneasy that day. He didn't want to think much about it. He only looked back at the sketch of the new model car he was doing as cleanly as possible. It was a part of their final projects before the holidays and it took him the whole night last night to come up with a good, smart model of a four wheel drive. He was fifty percent finished, just like almost half of the class. He still had to put color and the final touches to it, which may take about two more hours or so.
Yet, even with his busy task, he couldn't help but glance at the vacant seat next to him every now and then, where his bastard of a best friend, Sasuke, used to sit during their major classes. And he was absent on that class again today. Sasuke hadn't been showing up in some of their classes recently, even during their minor subjects, where two seats were now usually unoccupied: the seats where both his teammates used to occupy.
Naruto was aware that Sakura hadn't been in school for three days now. It was quite dreary not having her during their trainings. It was like they were back again in their old state, just him, Sasuke and Kakashi. No girl.
He sighed without awareness as he continued to do the final line art of the car rims. He was pretty sure Sasuke was bothered by Sakura's absence, no matter how much he showed he was unaware of it. He wasn't showing up in some of their classes anymore where she was also gone, as if he wasn't interested to be there anymore. And Naruto was now getting a bit worried.
The classes for today would only be on half day since the rest of the afternoon would be spent arranging the sets for the academy's Christmas party. He really wanted to be there with all his friends complete to celebrate before they part ways for a week or two. And he wanted to get a bit drunk tonight and sing some lunatic carols before spending the rest of the holidays with his aunt, alone in their house together.
But the spirit of the season was like being drained down the toilets now. Most of them were busy with different projects and the times when they'd be all together were getting thinner and thinner.
He glanced at the vacated seat of Sasuke again and let out a silent grumble. Sasuke was a smart student, one of their tops in fact, but he could be really careless and ignorant sometimes. He didn't care about the outcomes of his actions at times, and Naruto was getting worried about it. Both his teammates were no where in sight in that cold, freaking day.
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Naruto arrived home that day after the classes were dismissed during lunch time. He wasn't surprised at all to see Sasuke setting up parts of a new motorbike in his garage, where their friends usually hang out and do band practice. It was like a public area now for his friends. They usually just turn up there without notice. It was easy for them to get inside even if they didn't have the keys. It was, after all, one of the qualities and drawbacks of being rogue students.
"Where have you been?" Naruto asked in a tired voice as he threw his backpack on the old couch at the corner and walked passed him to the small refrigerator.
"Just out getting some new stuff." Sasuke said as he stooped down with his knees bent as he secured the front wheel on its place. He wore faded jeans and a white shirt despite the chilly weather outside the space. A cluster of mechanical tools rested on a spot on the gray floor.
"You really like to play hooky during the critical terms in school. Aren't you worried about passing the final projects?" Naruto said as he opened a bottle of beer from the fridge. He saw three empty ones on the floor a few feet away from Sasuke. "Is that a new order?" He referred to the new motorbike he was arranging.
It was shiny and the parts looked brand new. It was only half finished, and the tail lights and the other wheel were still missing. Naruto always knew he and Sasuke could be great businessmen or entrepreneurs one day. They're still students, but vehicle orders from them had started coming in since the early months of that year. They were mostly motorbike orders, but they had made some cars in the list, too. They didn't do it from scratch though, most of the time they only put the parts together and create customized versions. The income could be rewarding if they plan them well enough.
"Yeah. It'll be picked up tomorrow at noon." Sasuke said.
"You should finish it soon. We're gonna attend the party in school tonight."
There was no reply.
"Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me you're not going?! It's fucking Christmas for crying out loud!" Naruto groaned as he watched Sasuke took a screw driver.
"You've been there for decades. It's boring."
"Well, it's better than staying home alone! And it's rather fun, actually. You were even drunk last year and tried to burn the school down."
Sasuke chuckled a bit. "It was fucking useless anyway, that stupid school."
Naruto leaned against the armchair, his bottle of beer on one hand. "And yet it was there where you met the woman who seems to be making some eccentric damages in your boring life."
"Why don't you just go out and get run over by a car."
Naruto sniggered. "Then, what's up with you?" He dangled the bottle on his hold as he watched Sasuke fix the parts. "I'm not the only one who's noticing your sudden absences in these past few days, you know. It's pretty hard to explain the situation when you've got some of your maniac fan girls trotting behind me all the time, asking me 'Where's Sasuke-kun? Where's Sasuke-kun?' like some demented, abandoned pussies."
Sasuke stood up, placed one hand inside his pocket and observed the unfinished pieces of metals.
"I'm done with the final projects anyway, so might as well go and hunt some demi-humans for a while." he spoke, not turning to Naruto.
"What—You're done already?" Naruto cried out, wanting to throw his bottle at him so badly now.
"There isn't much to do after school anyway so I finished them all the other day."
"Don't you EVER go to sleep?!"
"It's really not that time consuming if you have no one around the house to bug you."
"Or if you don't really have a social life." Naruto grumbled before taking a long gulp of his beer.
Sasuke ignored him as he started to insert the side mirrors into place. Naruto fell silent for a minute, just thinking about some random things and watched him. He had some good theories of his odd behaviors these days. He noticed how he quickly got edgy if he was not entertained by something. Sasuke always seem to want to do something else ever since that little incident with Sakura in the Mortis Org office. He didn't want to be unoccupied and bored at something, which was the cause of his several walk outs from other classes.
Naruto tried to raise the subject once and asked if he was planning to talk or apologize to her before she officially move out of town. He just shrugged and ignored him.
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9:22 PM.
About a hundred students gathered at the school field, where a giant ten-feet Christmas tree stood at the center, its lights and ornaments shone under the yellow glowing lights of the place. Giant wide cloths were stretched above them, like a tent, supported by dozens of poles at the edges and at the middle of the grounds. Golden bells, mistletoes and red ribbons hung above them.
There were long tables on both sides of the field, both filled with buckets of sodas, sakes, beers, juices, and dishes such as sushi, dumplings, roasted ducks, steamed sweet potatoes and a lot more which Naruto couldn't recall anymore after stuffing them down in his stomach. A loud, dance music was blaring from the big stereos from the corners and a small crowd was dancing at the middle of the grounds.
A lot of students were there, but some of his batch mates were no where in sight. He heard Hinata, Neji, and Ten Ten were out of town to attend some personal gatherings of their own. He even thought of buying Hinata a present, but maybe he'd give it to her next year when the classes resumed. All his professors were present at the big table near the Christmas tree. He could easily spot Tsunade's red face among them as she laughed wildly at Gai's joke and slapped him a little harder than intentioned on his shoulder. Kakashi was dancing groggily arm-to-arm with a red-faced Asuma, a glass of sake both in their hands, singing happily out of tune. Kurenai was plainly watching them with a stiff expression on her face as she sipped a glass of punch silently on her seat.
Chouji squeezed out of the dancing crowd and grabbed Naruto's sleeve. He looked a little drunk now, too. His puffy cheeks were now blushing. He wore a Santa hat that looked a bit undersized on top of his huge head. Naruto was wearing the same one goofily.
"Come on, let's boogie!" Chouji cheered, grabbing him and pulling him with the group of dancing and squishing people.
"WAHOOO!" Naruto laughed as he put both his arms around the girls between them and moved his body with the music. They were all laughing now.
Compared to the previous year, the party was louder this time. Last year, liquors were limited and it was more of doing some games and eating and eating. This year, it was a bit crazier and overflowing with drinks. Not all students attend the party though, some go back to their hometowns for the holidays earlier than the others, and some are not just interested to come.
Of course, even with the party taking place, there was still a crew present in the Mortis Org office in case of urgent matters. They were, after all, in a 24/7 job.
Naruto was still dancing with the crowd when he noticed Sasuke passed by him.
"Yo, come on—join the fun!" He gave a brief tug on his elbow as Sasuke stopped to look at his reddening face. "Where're you goin'?"
Sasuke had already consumed a bucket of beer since the party started, yet his face still had that cool expression he usually wore. His cheeks were now a bit pink, but aside from that, he didn't look drunk at all.
"Just gonna get some air. It's getting stuffy here." Sasuke replied in a steady voice.
He walked passed them and out of the huge tent. Naruto already knew what he really had in mind. Chouji screamed happily and had gotten himself a microphone from the karaoke now, and he was grabbing Naruto by the shoulders, trying to sing an old pop song with him.
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Sasuke ran a hand over his face and breathed out loudly. He stood there outside the tent, letting a few snowflakes fall over him. The noises from the inside could still be heard there but it was a bit more stifled. His mind was starting to be in a swirl due to the variety of beverages and food he had consumed since the beginning of the party. He wasn't that interested to attend, yet Naruto just kept insisting all afternoon.
A girl with a sultry face and dark hair approached him from the tent. She has an olive toned skin and looked much like a model. He recognized her as one of the juniors in the development communication course. She was also a rogue student and, as far as he knew, a lot of the boys were drooling over her in the campus.
"Hey, sweetie." she greeted him with a seductive smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was very much well known for her confidence and sexy body. "Wanna get something to drink? You look troubled."
It was normal for him to get approached by girls or strangers. Both pretty and ugly ones. It was a good way of getting laid. He knew he was a catch, yet he'd find it annoying most of the time, especially if he just didn't want to talk to anybody. And sometimes he just didn't care at all.
Sasuke first thought of shaking his head. But on second thought, only spoke at ease. "Why don't you grab us a couple of bottles and I'll look for a good spot here?" He was not exactly a gentleman, especially if he could fool other girls.
She gave a small, mischievous smile and ran her thumb against his chin before disappearing to the tent opening. Yet Sasuke didn't move as he stood there alone. He felt numb.
It had been a few days and he couldn't get himself to focus on something. He was always looking for something interesting to do. And he hated the reason for his restlessness. It didn't feel right. The campus wasn't as interesting to him now. He had the power to do anything he'd choose now that she was gone. But it didn't turn out as satisfying as he expected. Where was the fun in that now?
That stupid, pathetic newbie.
She was really the one to blame. She created a mess in that place, and now she was messing with his head. She was putting up a no show act as if anyone cared. She stayed in that stupid school for too long and it felt as if a hole had opened up somewhere now that her presence was gone. She fits the bullied nerd perfectly. He wanted to put her in distress so badly, and now that she seemed to had given up, things felt worthless to him.
If she only knew what was really happening in the underworld. What was happening with both Mortis Org and Mortis Guild. They were just in a student phase, wait until she sees the working rogues. He bet she'd have a different attitude if she'd realize all the complications in the world with these demi-humans around. Especially if her grandfather is a well-known rogue.
Sasuke kicked a small pebble near him and it hit a trash bin across the white ground.
But this is what he wanted, didn't he? So what was the big fuss?
Maybe he preferred tormenting her life than having her gone after all...
Without glancing back at the party in the tent, he trudged off to his motorbike at the parking lot, not caring if the girl who had spoken to him earlier would be back or not. He was in the mood for some demi-human hunting or perhaps doing some drunk stunts tonight. Who knows.
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Saturday.
I stared down at the papers on my table in my bedroom. They were all the transferee applications for the three schools I had submitted. All three of them had one black opaque stamp across the contents. And it says:
DENIED.
The contents read apologetic letters, saying how they could not accept me and that I had failed to meet their required grades.
I yanked my head in frustration. "Are you kidding me?"
The entrance exams for transferees weren't even that hard.
"Sweetie, can you come down here for a sec? You have a letter." My mother called.
I found her holding an opened envelope and a couple of papers when I got down in the living room. She was reading the contents as she stood beside the dining table.
"I didn't know you're applying for a scholarship program." she said.
"What?"
I snatched the papers from her hands. The first thing I noticed was the Konoha Academy logo at the header. I quickly began to read it down.
"It's from your school. They're inviting you for a scholarship program. It appears you're qualified. Why didn't you tell me you're doing so well with your studies?" she said delightedly.
Because I wasn't.
"What?!" I cried again. As far as I knew, I could barely pass in school.
"As part of the program, I can pay less and half of your tuition fee!" she exclaimed gleefully, clapping her hands. "Oh, Sakura sweetie! You make me so proud!" She hugged me as my eyes bulged and stared at the paper.
True, my name was written there and I could read the benefits of the scholarship.
"Where the hell did this come from?" I asked, flipping the pages over and looking for the envelope at the same time.
"It arrived just this morning via a postman." Mom said cheerfully as she let me go and continued on mixing the salad she was making.
I searched for the signatory and found Tsunade's name at the bottom of the last page. A red stamp marked her signature.
"You've gotta be kidding."
Sweet. I thought sarcastically. I was denied in all three schools and I suddenly had a scholarship in Konoha Academy. Was this some kind of a prank from the school head? Now my mother won't let me transfer to another institute if I'd ask her because of this piece of shit.
"What's the matter, hun?" She asked curiously as she stirred the salad in a bowl, not getting at all what was happening.
"Nothing." I muttered, my hands gripping the paper too tightly.
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"AHAHAHA!"
"Shut up, Grandpa."
Sarutobi couldn't keep himself steady as he snorted on his seat. The stupid scholarship notice was dangling from his hands. He and I were having bowls of ramen in a nearby resto bar and I figured showing him the letter that I just got. We were sittting on the floor and he could barely pull himself together as he read it.
"Oh, boy." he said, removing tears of laughter from the corner of his eye. "Your mother's really going to like this. And I don't think she'll be too eager to send you off to another school with this on her paws. Why, congratulations, Sakura. You excel in school!"
He was in another fit of laughter. I rolled my eyes.
"I gotta say, I underestimated that Uchiha boy." he said after calming himself back.
"Can't you read? It's from the headmistress." I said irritably across the small wooden table.
"Yes, it's got her signature, alright. But if you ask me, I think he was the one who requested for this." He said in an amused manner as he put the papers back on the table beside his steaming bowl of soup.
"He wants me out of the academy, Grandpa." I stated the obvious.
"Is that so?" he didn't look surprised. "I'm guessing that's not true at all. You see, Tsunade don't usually do this kind of stuff. He or someone must've got enough nerve to ask and push her to do this. They don't offer scholarships unless it's really necessary. And in your case," he peered back to me. "I doubt you qualify for this at all."
"I know that. This is crazy. Why are they doing this?"
"Aren't you flattered? He's going the extra mile for you to stay." he said lightly. He took a piece of meat with his chopsticks and shoved it inside his mouth. "That boy must've gone some effort to get this done."
"He created this mess in the first place. He was the one who wanted me out of the goddamn school, remember?"
"I don't think you have much options in your hands, missy. If I were you, I would just get my bony ass back there and finish my degree."
I scowled at my bowl and played with the noodles. He was silent for a while, just eating and staring at his food. He was wearing a serious expression the next time I glanced back up at him. The humor in his eyes were soon gone.
"Something the matter?" I asked.
He didn't answer right away, but just stirred the soup in his bowl with his chopsticks.
"You know, joining the underworld is a risky decision. It's a dangerous business. People get killed all the time." He said, his eyes still not meeting mine. "I didn't enroll you in Konoha to put your life in danger. I just wanted you to have the support should the time comes when you'll be needing it. With a bloodline or not. Your parents know nothing about it and I'm a bit relieved that at least you're aware of all this. Because then… I won't have to worry much if one day I'd come back home not breathing anymore. At least one of you would be aware of what I was doing."
My eyebrows furrowed. "Grandpa, don't say that. You're good at what you're doing. That won't happen." I wanted to hold his hands but stopped myself. It would appear more serious if I would do so. I didn't like this kind of conversation.
He smiled again, but it didn't meet his eyes. "Just promise me you'll do your best, all right, silly little brat?"
He didn't seem to be in his happpy-go-lucky self. There was something odd there and I was afraid to find out what.
What have you been doing, Grandpa?
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The Christmas party was the last night of school for that year. The students were in a one week holiday break and the classes would resume during the first week of January. I didn't get my chance to see Tsunade about the scholarship letter at all.
And out of frustration, I found myself trudging on the snow covered street towards the house of that bastard. He wasn't aware that I knew where he lives. Heck, almost everything about him could be found in the internet. Not to mention one of his fan sites had a photo of their mansion.
Now I feel like a real stalker.
I arrived across the street where the Uchiha mansion was situated. I could see their house even from the very end of the street. It was four times the size of our house. The walls were made with wood and cemented walls painted in light brown and white. The front gates were made in thick wood and were patterned together in squares. Cemented sheds stood on both side with the roofs made of kawara tiles. The vast lawn behind the gates were covered in snow except for the walkway. Some flowerless sakura trees also stood there, which were also now covered with white flakes. The Uchiha clan symbol painted finely on a small piece of wood could be spotted at the side of the gates. The whole mansion occupied two blocks of the whole village.
The place looked impressive and intimidating at the same time.
I stood there for a minute, thinking how to go and knock and ask for that airhead to come out. I rubbed my hands together.
A shiny black SUV car appeared from the corner and parked in front of the gates. It gave three honks. The front door of the mansion soon opened and someone stepped out, carrying a black travel pack with his hand over his left shoulder. He was wearing a white jacket and he trudged over to the front gates. A pair of black earphones was dangling down his neckline.
It was Sasuke.
The driver of the black SUV stepped out of the vehicle and met him at the gates. He was wearing a black coat and a bit smaller in height than Sasuke, but wider than him. He was about to get the travel bag from Sasuke but he just went past him to pull open the back of the vehicle.
"S'okay Hanji, I can do this myself." he said, dropping the bag inside, bringing his head back and closing the back of the vehicle in a push.
I was surprised that he didn't say it in a commanding tone, but more of a type like they were in the same level.
"I can drive you there, Sasuke-san. Your father will be less worried." The driver spoke.
Sasuke took the car keys from his hold and started walking to the driver's seat. He gave a short laugh. "Good. But no need. It won't make any difference if I'm here or not, anyway." He gave one wave without looking back at him before yanking the door of the driver's seat open. "Later."
He must had seen my reflection there. He swiftly spun around and his eyes met mine in an instant, as if he knew exactly where to land them. He didn't move for a second. Then crossed his arms together as he watched me across the street.
"Well, if it isn't my number one stalker." He mused. "Looking for some place to get cozy and warm?"
My eyebrows arched. I knew what I was there for. "Is that stunt about the scholarship program supposed to sweep me off my feet? Or make me hurl?"
Somehow, the days that we weren't able to see each other had this small effect of making us want to taunt each other, rather than physically lunge and kill each other like the last time we had met. Somehow, the days had cooled my head down a bit. And I was guessing it was the same with him, because the anger that I saw in his eyes the day I slapped him wasn't there now.
No trace of Sasori there.
"You like that, didn't you." he said.
"What you did is unfair. Who do you think you are? You can't do that to students."
"The old hag didn't seem to think so." And he was right. If I really wanted to do something about it, I should look for the headmistress. I scowled at him.
"Where are you going?" It was the first question that soon came to my mind.
He glanced at the vehicle behind him. He was still holding the door of the driver's seat. "To Hakuba." He shrugged.
Hakuba. It was one of the best snow skiing and snow boarding in the country and nearly a four hour drive from the city. I was guessing he'd be crashing the place during the holiday break.
"Don't you have Mortis Org duty?" I asked.
"I'm on call." He said. He looked back at me with curious eyes. He looked to be in a good mood today. No trace of annoyance there. "What is it with you, anyway?"
I didn't respond. The driver stood there at the other end of the car and was quietly watching us.
Sasuke seemed to have instantly saw through me and he just gave a small smirk. "Do you want to come?"
"No." I mumbled and turned around to start walking back to where I came from.
His hand grip my wrist in a sudden movement and he was behind me in a blink.
"Why do you always have to move away?" he asked arrogantly, holding me there at the spot.
"Aren't the reasons too obvious, already?" I said calmly, maintaining my straight posture.
"You and your stupid reasons." he said. "I can read through you and still you deny it."
I pulled my arm away from his grasp but still stood there in front of him. I hadn't seen him for days and I pictured his face the same as always. He always had this look for me. Only for me.
"Come with me." He said. I could feel his confidence emanating from him. "We'll be gone for a few days. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself there. I'll make sure you do."
He speaks as though nothing between us had ever happened. Or perhaps, today, he was acknowledging it. I was too caught up by his stare to even give a logical thought.
"I've got other things to do."
"The hell you have. What, you're going to pack up and go back to your unheard-of hometown?"
"It's none of your stupid business!" I yelled.
And then, he grabbed me by the waist. He encircled his arm around me and placed me on top of one of his shoulders. I was bent backwards and all I could see was his back and his footsteps as he crossed the street effortlessly toward his vehicle.
"Put me down, you scumbag!" I hissed at him as I tried to wiggle free.
The driver approached us as Sasuke went around to the passenger's door. "Eh, Sasuke-san? Are you sure about this?"
"Don't mind us, Hanji. Nothing new here." He sighed as he yanked open the vehicle door and plopped me on the seat. "This is my girlfriend, by the way. Feel free to mention it to my father." He pushed back the door closed and locked it.
"You dickhead! I'm not your girlfriend! Let me at least talk to my parents!" I shouted inside the vehicle, as if he could still hear me. He didn't even mention my name to the driver.
I saw him patted the arm of the driver and bidding him farewell as he went around the vehicle before getting at the driver's seat. The driver looked a bit worried but only bowed and said his good bye to him.
I zoomed my fist toward his face the minute he got inside. And unsurprisingly, he caught it with his fist and threw me back on my seat without even looking. He gazed at the street as he shifted the gear and the SUV drove off.
He turned around the corner and spoke collectedly. "I'll talk to your mom once we get there. I'm sure she'll be glad to have you there with me."
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