I have no idea why it's so easy to write this story. It's actually depressing. Sigh. WHY CAN'T SHARINGAN BE THIS EASY?! Sorry guys, major writer's block there…

Disclaimer: I still own nothing, you realize that, right?

Dedication: Ohhhh, to Breaking Benjamin. You want a good band? You got one. *glomps*

---

I rolled over the next morning, wearing what Kakashi tended to call my 'grumpy face'. Anko called it my 'get-the-fuck-out-of-the-way-before-I-kill-you' face. I tend to agree with Anko on this one (actually, I tend to agree with Anko on most things,). I'm in a mood to kill anyone or anything that gets in my way.

So both Kakashi and Anko left. They always did, in the mornings. I still, to this day, have no idea where they went. But that is not the center of this story. Anyways.

I was stomping around, glowering because I had to go to school that day. Why?! What is the point of this institution?! Do adults really enjoy torture that much, or is it just me?! There was a note left on the table from Kakashi, threatening extreme pain if I didn't go to at least half of my classes today. Damn. Just to spite him, I burnt it, and left the ashes in a plastic bag, exactly where the scrap of paper had been.

At eight-thirty, I was still in my pajamas, sipping hot chocolate. I refuse to go in protest. Peaceful non-cooperation. I won't fight, but they won't budge me. Just like Gandhi! Kakashi said I had to go to half my classes. He never specified which half. And then the doorbell rang.

I wrapped one of Anko's crazy quilts around my shoulders, and stomped to the door. If it was Kakashi, I was going to open the door, kick him in the balls, and then set the alarm off. So there.

I peeked out the door's little spy-glass-thing.

And I started fuming.

For there stood who? No one but Sasuke Uchiha. I didn't unblock the door, and I went back into the kitchen. He couldn't get in, not unless he… shit. Because right at that second, I could hear the lock turning. Damn. I'd forgotten to lock-pick-proof those locks when I'd the chance. That's what I get for being lazy.

So in the dickhead came in, like he was king of the world. And he looked it, too, pretty hair and all. Screw him. I continued sipping my hot chocolate, and ignored him entirely. If he wanted something, he would have to vocalize it, and I had a sneaking suspicion (okay, it was full-blown knowledge…) that he didn't like speaking unless it was absolutely necessary.

He twitched, and I smirked to myself. Peaceful non-cooperation. I didn't realize it would work so well, not to mention pissing plenty of people off. This day was already great! Yay!

"Sakura, get up."

"No."

"Get up."

"I refuse."

"Why?"

"Because I refuse to go to school when I don't have to. I've done all the stuff we're doing now, I did it a year and a half ago. I don't care if I get a bad reputation for skipping. I'm not going. Now if you'll get out of my house, I'm going back to my hot chocolate." I told him, nose in the air.

He looked amused. Uh-oh. That couldn't be good. "Kakashi was right. He told me to check that you were up and getting to school, and to force your lazy ass there if you weren't going."

I flipped him off. While this peaceful cooperation thing pisses people off, it also annoys me. But violence is not the answer. It is the question.

He picked me up.

Obviously, the answer to that question is yes.

I kneed him in the balls, and he dropped me, cursing eloquently. He's got nothing on Anko though, so I didn't even wrinkle my nose when I hit the floor. Anko'll out-swear you, and then knock you on your ass. She's done it to me so many times that I don't even really bruise anymore. Sigh. I climbed back up onto my chair at the table, and went back to sipping my chocolate, so dignified in so many ways.

"Uchiha, you're not taking me anywhere, I don't give a flying fuck what Kakashi said. He can suck my guns. I refuse to go to school today, and I'm surprised you're going of your own volition. Not many people would do that."

He gave me an odd look as I said that, and then he sighed. He sat down across from me. That seat was usually empty. Our table was for four, something I'd never understood. But it didn't matter, because he was looking at me like I was the only girl in the entire world.

I almost had the grace to blush. But since I have no grace, I didn't.

"Sakura, you really don't care, do you?"

"What is this, twenty questions?"

"You owe me."

"So?"

"Call it what you want, I want to figure you out."

"Fuck you." But I understood what he wanted. That life debt wouldn't be close to paid, but I could start. "But ask your questions. There are rules, though. I won't answer anything that's too personal, understand?"

He nodded. "So answer the question. You really don't care at all, do you?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"What made you like this?"

"A lot of things."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

He glared at me, chagrined at my nonchalance. "Then how did you end up with Kakashi and Anko?"

I started to tell him that it was personal, but then I stopped. I knew his history; it was only fair that he knew mine. I growled to myself about my sense of justice. Why? But he'd have to convince me that he'd earned those answers.

"That's a long story."

"I have time."

"You have school."

"School can wait."

I smirked at him. "Hypocrite."

"Tell the damn story, Sakura."

I muttered to myself 'ungrateful', so low that he wouldn't have heard it, but I started to tell him the story.

"Just so you know, if you stop me, I won't be able to tell it properly. So… so just let me talk, 'kay?"

He nodded, and I told him my tale.

---

"And that's why I hate them so much. That's why I can't stand leeches, because they tear families apart, in just the same way that they tore mine apart. And I'll never forgive them that."

He stared at me, in something that could be considered total disbelief. I don't blame him, but… well, all that staring was starting to get a little weird.

"Earth to Uchiha, come in, can you hear me in there?"

He glared at me, and I laughed at him. "Sakura, I do happen to have a first name."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I know you do, but it's easier to call you by your last name." Easier for me, easier for you, easier for everyone, I think, but I don't say it out loud. I've been told I'm trouble trouble-dangerous-bad-you-shouldn't-be-seen-with-that-girl-son-i'm-sorry, but it's never really bothered me before. And it was just… easier… this way. Easy-peasy-pudding-and-pie-kiss-the-girls-and-make-them-cry-kind-of-easy.

And, besides that, at some point, I'm going to leave. I don't want to be too attached to anyone, because that would make leaving difficult. And I dislike difficulties. They have this tendency to get in the way of things I want to do.

I check the clock, and take mild interest as I realize that it's past noon. Oh well, no school for me today. "Hey, you should probably get to school."

He scoffed. "You're not getting rid of me that easily Sakura. If I'm going, you're going."

I gave him one of my are-you-insane-get-out-of-my-house-looks (yes, I have a lot of weird looks at my command, go away), and then muttered "You freakin' wish. I'm not going anywhere. I already told you that,".

Uchiha smirked at me. Damn bastard. "C'mon princess, get up and get ready. The sun's hiding in the clouds, and it's a perfectly fine day to go to school."

I flipped him off, wrapped the quilt tighter around my shoulder, and realized that my hot chocolate was now just chocolate milk, and that I had better make some more.

I shrieked when he picked me up again, this time making sure I couldn't knee and or kick him anywhere that could cause him extreme pain (all that that meant was that he tossed me over his shoulder. It's not my fault I'm tiny, okay?!). The only thing I could do was beat my fists against his back. It was kind of pointless.

"Stop fidgeting, you're making this harder on the both of us," he growled out, and my fidgeting got worse. What did he expect? That I'd make this easy for him? No! I refuse.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked. Okay, struggling was boring.

"To school."

"Dressed like this?! Uchiha, don't you realize what they'll think?!"

"I don't care what they think."

"Uchiha, if you don't put me down right this second, I will scream rape as soon as we get out the door and plenty of people will come running, and you will be in trouble. I've learned very well how to make myself sound sick." I croaked the last word, and I knew I sounded exactly like I was dying. I had perfected it during a particularly nasty stint with some leeches in Toronto, when we were there.

"If I have to fake my own death to get away from you, I will."

He groaned, and put me down at the front door. I smiled. Victory is mine. Actually, I was surprised at how gently he put me down. He didn't drop me like I expected, he set me down on my feet, and made sure I didn't fall over. His fingers lingered a second too long on my arm, and I shook him off.

I narrowed my eyes. He was obviously trying a different tactic, assuming correctly that, if forced, I wouldn't be going anywhere. And if he tries the seduction thing, I will castrate him. I'm not in the mood, right now. I'm in the mood to go back to sleep.

But his lips were against my ear for a second, and he whispered "Are you okay?"

Nervously, I pushed him away. I dislike having my personal bubble invaded in such a way. It's scary, having someone you don't like so close to you. (Ahhh, but you don't hate him, do you princess? Do you?) I shook the little voice off, and ignored the lie.

I do hate him. I do.

"I'm fine. Could you get out of my personal space, before I freak out?"

He took a step back.

It wasn't enough to satisfy me, but it was enough to let me think. Because it really was hard to think, when he was there in my space like that. Oh, don't look at me like that; you wouldn't be able to think either if a very pretty boy in skinny jeans was whispering in your ear either, would you?

…Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question.

"Look… Sasuke…" I forced his name out from between clenched teeth. "I really just want to go back to bed, so you need to go, okay? Because I'm not the one Kakashi'll be mad at if he comes home, and you're still here. And I'm in no mood to stop him from killing you. He seems to think I can't protect my honor from a single guy."

I took a deep breath, and continued. "So just please leave, okay?" But the entire time, I didn't look him in the eye. I couldn't look him in the eyes.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked at me strangely. Not the 'only-girl-in-the-world' kind of strange, the 'you-are-a-freak' kind of strange. At least this kind of strange makes sense.

"Do you really hate me so much, that you can't even look at me?"

Something inside of me shattered (my control, I think…), and I snapped my angry gaze carelessly up at him. "I'm looking at you now, and you need to leave, understand?"

A flash of emotion crossed his features, but it was too fast for me to decipher it, and then his entire face went blank. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, and gave me another undecipherable look, and then said, so softly, a smirk marring his lips "See you later, princess," and I just wanted to kick him.

I slammed the door after he'd left, and rested my overly-large forehead against it. He was such a jerk. Why did he do things like this to me? I didn't even like him all that much! I needed to talk to Anko about this.

So I went and curled up on the couch with our crappy laptop, and even crappier wireless net service, and waited for my parents to get home.

---

Kakashi didn't even have the guts to glare at me. As soon as they got in the house, both him and Anko knew there was something wrong with me, because I didn't even say hello, something that had been a habit for as long as I could remember.

Anko came and found me on the couch, curled up. I didn't even realize I was shaking.

She threw her arms around me, and for once, I welcomed the embrace, not something I would normally have done. So she knew that there was something really wrong with me.

"C'mere hunny, and tell me exactly what's wrong." She sat down next to me, her arms still wrapped around my shaking body. Kakashi left the room after one fearsome glare from my adoptive mother, getting the vibe that this was a girl talk that he had no right to be intruding on.

"Anko, there was something that you didn't tell me yesterday, when Uchiha was here. When you were talking about our mothers. What was it?"

She looked away, a dark blush marring her normally-pale cheeks. I was shocked. Anko did not blush. It simply did not happen. What was going on here?!

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that. Anko, what was it about?"

"It's a long story sweetie."

"I don't care. It highly concerns me, and it has to do with why he calls me princess. I think I have a right to know."

She sighed softly, and her purple eyes swept over my face, like she was searching for long-hidden information. But I had to know. I just had to, because there was no telling what could end up happening between Uchiha and I.

"Sakura, this started off a long time ago, when both your mother and Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, were children. They met, and it was like they were instantly best friends. And they stayed that way. They grew up together, but they made a promise that their children, too, would one day be best friends."

She paused to let me digest this information. I nodded to get her to continue. There was so much I didn't know…

"Now, they both came from highly respected families from among the hunter community, and they were both known to be very beautiful, very kindhearted women. And there were many men who wanted to marry the two of them. But they refused every offer of marriage. By then, Tsunade had found me, and they were taking care of me, teaching me everything I needed to know to be a strong part of their world. And I loved them both so much. They were my best friends. So I understood what they wanted in boys. They wanted a pair of best friends who would love them forever.

And that's what they got. One day, when I was seven, your mother took me out shopping. She was eighteen at the time, being eleven years older then I was, almost to the day, and Tsunade had wanted her to do some random chores, like buying more sake, but the old boozer's supply was running low." Here, she stopped and snorted, and then looked at me fore another long moment.

"Kaia was a lot like you Sakura, full of righteous anger at the world, and she was a feminist before her time. But that day, we went out, and we were shopping. And we met up with Mikoto, and I was having so much fun, because the older girls liked me enough to bring me along on their random trips. And that was where they met Fugaku and your father, Toushiro.

I was hiding behind your mother and Mikoto, and I watched them glare so furiously at these two boys, and I didn't understand why they didn't like them so much. I didn't understand until later that they came from rival families, and that there was a lot of resentment there. But I could feel the hostility rolling off your mother and Mikoto in waves, and it scared me, because both of them had always been so kind, and I'd never felt anything like anger from them, ever before.

So it scared me, and they whisked me away, leaving the two boys standing there, all alone. I asked the two of them about it afterwards, and they explained all of this to me. But I guess the line between hate and love is very, very, very thin, because it didn't take your mother and father long at all to fall in love. Nor did it take them long to introduce Mikoto and Fugaku properly. And soon, they were married. At both weddings, I was a bridesmaid, and they were most beautiful weddings I had ever been to, if only because the bride and groom were so in love with each other. It was amazing, Sakura, in so many ways."

She paused again, and I let this information sink into my brain. There was so much… but how did it have anything to do with Uchiha and I? Well, there was the best friend's part…

"Go on."

She nodded, and continued. "And then your oldest brother was born, and a few months after that, Itachi, Mikoto's first son, was born. They too, grew up together. They were the best of the best, having inherited both of their parent's abilities. No one else their age could touch them, and they spent a good deal of their time with Kakashi.

And then you were born. Sasuke was born a few months before that, and the two of you met almost right away. But, while your brother had gotten on gotten on perfectly well with Itachi, to the point that they were inseparable, you and Sasuke did not get along. It was apparent in everything you two did. Actually, it was really funny, from my perspective, the few times I saw you two when you were that young.

Well, Kaia and Mikoto couldn't believe it. They were so sure you tow were going to hit it off, the way Itachi and Koryaku had. But I reminded them of how they had been with the loves of their lives, and this placated them some, I guess."

She stopped, grief constricting her features. I knew what came next, so I supplied the words. "And then my parents were murdered, and Kakashi found me. Anko, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt you, sweetie. This wasn't something you tell a ten-year old. You were still dealing with not having birth parents, and having teenagers as the only parental guidance in the world. I still sometimes think we could have done things better."

I shook my head, and hugged her as hard as I could. "No anko, you and Kakashi were the best thing that ever happened to me. I probably wouldn't have survived without you two."

I never realized how hard it must have been for Anko to have lost my mother. I knew they had been close, but not the kind of close that Anko and I have. I guess I was wrong.

As I thought her story over, I saw a gaping problem. "But I still hate him, Anko."

She chuckled. "That's not hate, sweetie. That's you being unable to control the fact that you want to like him, so you let yourself put up the simplest barrier of all. But don't let it stop you from being happy hunny. If you want to be his friend, be his friend, prejudices left aside."

I hugged Anko again, harder this time. Anko always made so much sense. I was glad I had her, her and Kakashi, and not someone else to take care of me, because no one else would have dealt with grief over my family in the same way. The simply ignored it, and let me mourn however I wanted to. And the best way for me to have done that was to have been allowed to learn how to kill the things that had destroyed the happiness I did have.

And I learned how to do that. Nothing could have been better then what I got. Because I didn't just learn how to deal with that never-ending fountain of grief. I learned how to make sure that that fountain never splashed anyone else.

"One other thing, Anko. How long do boys stay stupid?"

My adoptive mother sighed, and shook her head. "They stay stupid for a very long time Sakura. Don't count on them getting any smarter any time soon. Sorry sweetie."

---

I went to school the next day.

I even did it with little prodding from Kakashi. I was ready by eight-thirty, and got him to drive me, because I still refused to take a bus. I didn't have a bus pass; I didn't take th4e bus enough to warrant one, so getting driven was all I could do.

I really needed a car. Because this getting-Kakashi-to-drive-me-in-his-fancy-silver-Viper-and-watching-people-stare was starting to get old. And it was starting to annoy me when random guys came up to me and asked me for my number. But of course, Hinata saved the day by showing up and pulling me to Homeroom, because, let's facer it, if she hadn't, I probably would have left and gone back home.

Our teacher looked happy to see me, and she asked where'd I'd been the day before. I lied and told her I'd stayed home with a stomach ache. She looked at me sympathetically, and asked if I was fine now. No, I told her, but my father had wanted to make sure I didn't miss too much.

After the second round of twenty questions in two days, I went and sat down next to Hinata.

And then Sasuke came in, and my palms started to sweat. There was so much he didn't know. But he didn't even look at me, and so I ignored him. I supposed yesterday never happened. But as he passed me, he dropped a piece of paper on the floor next to me.

With the excuse of having to tie my shoe, I reached down and picked the scrap of paper up.

Written on it, in beautiful, gilt scrip that I recognized as Tsunade's, were the words Sakura, I'm partnering you with Sasuke from now, until further notice.

What?!

O, this couldn't be right. But Tsunade's writing was so distinctive, and it always had been. But I never worked with partners. It was too dangerous; we'd proved that when Hinata had nearly been changed in that alley, not even a week ago.

I just was no good at working with other people.

But the words danced in front of me, and I knew that something had happened to make Tsunade put me on a team. And she knew I'd never go against orders, no matter how much I despised their content. I'd proved that so many times. So why was this happening? It meant I would never be able to let Sasuke die. It meant she pitied me, in a way.

It also meant I couldn't leave Konoha, not even if I wanted to.