Bright green eyes wandered, taking in the whole picture of the room. Burgundy velvet curtains draped over the window-less black walls. Brass candelabras carried decorative candles that set the mood. The sultry piano music lingering in the background was the perfect touch. A stained cherry wood table sat in the middle of the room. Two chairs. One small, flickering candle.

Sakura stood in a sleek, black dress that reached the floor and folded around her feet. The strapless style showed off her creamy skin that still managed to sparkle in the dim setting. Some long, matching gloves reached up past her elbow and ended with a touch of lace. Her heels clacked against the glossy black marble. As she gracefully sat down, a pair of onyx eyes watched her.

"Black doesn't suit you," said the man sitting in an elegant midnight suit. A second later, she observed her ensemble as it turned colors instantly.

Blood red.

"Perfect." He reached over and tucked a strand of strawberry hair behind her ear. The two crystal glasses sitting on the table carried crimson red liquid. They each picked up a wineglass and gave a quick toast before acknowledging the intense atmosphere between them.

The spark was undeniable.

"Sasuke…," she whispered desperately, placing the glassware down on the table before having a taste. She was falling for him. His eyes, his lips, everything… her feelings for him kept building up and up. She felt like she was going to explode into a million pieces if she kept them to herself.

"I love you."

And there it was. That devious smirk again.

"You don't even know me," he growled seductively as he took a long sip from his glass. He slowly leaned in closer. The flickering candle gave an ominous feel that always racked the back of her mind. But she ignored it.

She wanted him.

"I-I don't care! I…I want to get to know you! Everything…" She looked down at her lap. The nervous habit of playing with her necklace started up again. A strong hand took hold of her wrist, stopping her. He pulled her along and she clumsily jumped out of the satin chair. Sasuke walked until her back was against the wall and he pinned her, both hands at the side of her face.

Her heart was beating painfully fast. Sakura could no longer hear the music; only the pounding in her ears. She began to wonder if her face was turning into the shade of her dress. She couldn't even find the air to breath.

"Sakura…," he whispered dangerously, "You're making a mistake…" Every ounce of her body believed the same thing…except her heart.

His hand caressed her cheek and she hopelessly collapsed into him. His perfect lips dotted her neck with lustful kisses as deep groans rumbled from his throat. She moaned and tilted her neck back as his hot breath tickled her delicate skin. She didn't want this to end.

"No…I'm not…"

You're making a mistake…

A mistake.

[7] The Rivalry

"SAKURAAAAA!"

Air rushed back into Sakura's lungs the moment she sat up in her bed. She took gasps of air and placed her palm on her heart. It was beating incredibly fast.

"It was just a dream…," she breathed out. But it felt so real…Sasuke… felt so real. Her cheeks were burning up.

His kisses…

God, how she wished it was real.

"SAKURA, GET DOWN HERE."

Sakura shifted in her bed and looked at the clock on her nightstand. The alarm didn't even go off yet. Even if it did, it would still be too early to deal with angry mama Haruno. She groaned and got out of bed, wondering what the hell she did wrong this time.

"Whaaat?" grunted Sakura, walking into the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus, only to see an annoyed middle-aged woman, carrying a cat by the loose skin at the back of its neck.

"Why is there an animal in this house?"

Busted.

She couldn't help but stare... and maybe drool a little. He was so mesmerizing. Plus, she did just have the most provocative dream of her life starring Sasuke Uchiha last week. She deserved front rows seats, right? Sakura was craving a bucket of popcorn right now as she daydreamed about his lips…

Meanwhile, Sasuke was standing by Shikamaru and Naruto near the front door.

"That quiz last week? Fuuuck, it was terrible…," complained Naruto, scratching the top of his head. "I didn't even get the first question…"

"Really? I thought it was simple enough…," responded Shikamaru, leaning against the back of his chair. He characteristically shrugged his shoulders and slipped his hands into his side pockets.

"Shut up, dude. No one likes a bragger!"

"Bragging? I'm just saying, man…"

"Speaking of the quiz…," Kakashi barged in. "You'll be getting them back today. Don't be surprised if you see more red pen than pencil…"

Naruto gulped down his anxiety and walked over to his seat. As Kakashi walked around the room, Naruto poked the daydreaming Sakura to get her to notice him.

"Hey Sakura! Whaddja think of the quiz?"

"The quiz? Oh, uh…," Sakura stumbled on her words. Was she allowed to just tell Naruto that Sasuke cheated for her?

"It was alright, I guess…" How should I know? I barely did any of it…

Just then, a paper marked with red ink was dropped on her desk. She was excited to get her perfect 100, thanks to her knight in shining armor. However, it turned out to be a bloody massacre of x-marks and cross-outs. Her self-esteem fell every time her eyes laid on a new red blotch. The second she saw her big fat zero written on top of the page, she nearly died all together.

What the FUCK?

She turned around in her seat to see her so called knight picking up his perfect grade that she earned for him. She threw down her first failing grade of the year and gave him a very dirty look.

"Damnnn, a zero? Wow, that's worse than what I got!" said Naruto, showing them his 25%. "I thought you said the quiz was alright, Sakura. What happened?"

"I. Don't. Know." she answered between grinded teeth. "Why don't you tell me, Sasuke?"

He snatched the paper and looked it over carefully. Calculations were flying around in his head before he handed it over to the failure in front of him.

"All these answers are right," he stated simply. "Talk to Kakashi about it, it's not my problem."

.

All the other students filed out the front door as Sakura stayed behind. She stood at the teacher's desk and waited for Kakashi to finish erasing the board. He then reviewed his red-pen masterpiece before giving her bad news.

"You cheated."

"What!" Sakura was appalled. Not because he was accusing her, because she was guilty as charged. But the fact that he actually knew… "How could I cheat? No one else had the same test!"

"Exactly…" Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Tell me how you did it. You're a smart girl, Sakura, but not that smart."

She wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not.

"I…" Sakura played with her necklace yet again. I can't just rat on Sasuke! He'd hate me forever!

"There's even some material on this test that I didn't begin to cover in class…," he added, eyeing the quiz.

REALLY? Frick, I'm screwed! "Uh…well, I like to…study? Yeah, I like to study ahead. It makes me feel more confident during your lessons."

Kakashi belted out a single laugh before leaning in and giving a very daunting look. "Tell me the truth, Sakura. Unless you like the sound of detention for the rest of the year. "

She was sweating bullets. "Uhm…"

.

Sakura still felt the uneasiness the moment she stepped out of the classroom. The raincloud over her head just continued to build and build. Sasuke kicked off the wall he was leaning against and continued to walk with her. She wasn't surprised that he stayed behind to eavesdrop; his after-school life was under fire just as much as hers was.

"He lied," Sasuke pointed out as they walked down the hall to Chem.

"Lied? How would he lie? He knew I cheated…," she moped.

"No, you practically told him you cheated."

"How? I didn't say anything wrong…"

"Your body language," he said, turning to look at her. He could see her slouched figure, the sullen face, the slow-paced walking; she was obviously miserable. He read her like an open book. Hell, anyone with eyes could see it. "And there wasn't any new material on the quiz. Didn't you even look at it?"

"What? I did look at it! But, damn it…I don't know! He was grilling me questions, and I just panicked!"

"You're not very good under pressure, are you?"

'Great…,' Sakura thought as she slouched in her seat. 'Now Sasuke knows I'm an idiot FOR SURE…'

Unaware of Sakura's internal wounds, Ino continued reporting the latest news at KHS.

"Okay, so I heard about this party that tramp, Ami, was throwing. She's a downright slut, but whatever. This party is supposed to be epic! We NEED to go," announced Ino, holding up her water bottle in the air. She slammed it down against the lunch table to make a point. Hinata jumped at the sudden earthquake and Sakura just placed her head down in self-deprecation.

"Volunteering at the hospital again…"

"I think I might have violin practice…"

"Oh shush, you liars! I didn't even tell you the date yet," the blonde shook her head in disappointment and continued. "We may not be the best of friends, because duh, I have you guys, but Ami sent me an invite anyway. It's this Friday and get this! It's at the Dead End."

"I thought that street was…haunted or something…," murmured Hinata.

"Seriously? That sounds really fishy…," Sakura commented, not sure of what to think about this invite. "What if she's just trying to pull your leg? Are you sure you wanna go to this?"

"Of COURSE, I want to go to this! Did you forget who you're talking to? All the best Halloween parties are thrown at the Dead End, you guys know that. Heck, EVERYONE knows that. Everyone who's ANYONE will be there. So, we should go!"

"Ehm…I don't know, Ino…," Hinata answered, fiddling her with her fingers. Sakura gave her party-crazy friend a warning look.

"Fine!" she huffed babyishly, but then a sudden twinkle in her blue eyes appeared. "Buuuuut… I know that Sasuke and Naruto are on the guest list, too! Imagine who else will be there!"

"What? Now you're just making stuff up," challenged Sakura. She didn't really peg the Uchiha as an alcohol-binging party animal.

"Nope! I'll make sure Sasuke goes. I'll even ask him myself." Ino stepped over the bench and eyed the boys' table. Ino was really going to go over to Sasuke and ask him to Ami's party. Sakura hung her head. Ino definitely had the edge over her; she at least had the guts. Sakura saw herself as a pathological liar with a history of failing.

Great, just the kind of girl Sasuke would want…

Just when the wave of defeat was settling in, Sakura felt a tug on her arm.

"Forehead girl! You're coming with me!"

"Wh-WHAT?"

.

"So, didja hear about that party?" asked Kiba, looking over a foxy magazine he happened to snatch from home. He turned the article vertically to get a better look at the goods.

"What party're you talking about?" asked Naruto, who was leaning next to Kiba to get in on the action.

"This chick's Halloween party. Iunno her name, but it's supposed to be awesome. You guys in?"

"Not worth it," Shikamaru took a sip of his bottled water. "Too much effort on my part."

"Does breathing take too much effort for you?" inquired Neji, being a wiseass.

"Some days," the lazy one responded in all seriousness. Neji just shrugged at the half-expected answer.

"I might make it," answered Neji, pulling out a leather-bound planner. "I'll have to check my schedule…"

"Hey, count me in! It's not a party unless Uzumaki's in the house!" Naruto laughed out loud.

"Alright! Yo, Sasuke, How 'bout you? Wanna go? There's gonna be boobs and booze." Kiba flashed a deviant smile, showing his sharp canines and pearly whites.

Sasuke was resting his cheek against his palm when he looked up at the dog boy. He wasn't really interested in parties, let alone human ones. He felt like taking Shikamaru's side on this. Too much effort. Waste of time.

Why would he possibly want to go?

"YOOHOO, SASUKE!"

Everyone at the table turned to see Ino Yamanaka practically skipping with joy towards them. Everyone, but the one she actually came to see; he just faced forward and continued to ignore her. She was waste-of-time #2. For Sasuke, it was getting hard to ignore her when she pushed Naruto out of the way and took the seat next to him.

"So…," she started off, clearly blushing. "You should go to Ami's party with me. It'll be a great time, I promise. You won't regret it." She finished off with a sultry wink and a batting of eyelashes. Sasuke just sighed. He had 50 other things he'd rather be doing than going to a party. With this annoying bimbo.

"Sakura! Are you gonna go? It's gonna be a kickass party 'cause I'll be there!" asked Naruto with a smile brighter than the sun. Sasuke turned his head and saw her, still taking her sweet time coming over to their lunch table. She looked clearly uncomfortable.

"I guess…," she answered morosely. I'm being forced against my will here!

"Hey, don't look so sad. Drink up at the party, you'll forget all about it later," Kiba said, standing up and patting her on the back.

Forget about failing? Maybe.

Forget I'm a complete idiot? Sure.

But forgetting that Ino gets to go with Sasuke…?

She stole a quick glance at him. Ino grabbed onto his arm and snuggled against his shoulder. He didn't seem too happy about it. But would he even be much happier with her?

That might take a while.

"What should I wearrr?" asked Ino, pulling out hanger after hanger out of her closet. Sakura sat on the floor while Hinata climbed on the bed and watched the blonde's wardrobe fly across the room.

"A costume would be a good idea," retorted Sakura, keeping her nose between the pages of her next Literature assignment.

"Har har, Ms. Smartypants. Don't be so pissy. You'd be crying your eyes out if you missed this party."

"I'd rather be crying than puking my guts out." She cringed at the mental image of a bunch of teenagers blowing chunks from over drinking. It's not exactly how she enjoys spending her Friday nights. Or any other night of the week, for that matter.

"You can be doing both at once! That way, you won't have to choose. Great, right?" Ino remarked sarcastically. She held up a shirt to match her costume idea. "Okay, does this shirt say 'Hey baby, I'd ride your stallion any day' or 'Fuck me, I'm a slut'?

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Um, I don't really get the difference…," Hinata said apprehensively. "It's a nice shirt though?"

"The difference is one is more subtle than the other. I don't want Sasuke to think I'm a prude, but I don't want him to think I'm a whore either…" Ino threw the shirt into the pile accumulating in the corner and dug through her closet yet again. "And I can't wear a nice shirt to see him. It needs to be the perfect shirt! Why. Can't. I. FIND ANYTHING?"

Sakura just snorted at Ino's try-hard attempts.

"Maybe we can go shopping tomorrow after school? When I bought my costume, I saw a lot of other options there," suggested Hinata, future ballerina extraordinaire.

"Hmm…I think Sasuke deserves to see me in a freshly purchased outfit…," Ino thought aloud.

Every time Ino mentioned his name, Sakura wanted to stab her.

"Do you think they'd have a cow girl outfit?" ask Ino with her head still in the closet.

"I don't see why not…?"

"Alright, I'm in. Hey, Pinkie, you're coming, right?" asked Ino, holding her cow girl hat. She had her other hand resting on her hip in a feisty manner.

"Sorry to disappoint you, pig, but I'll just see you at the party," growled Sakura, taking her book and stomping out of Ino's bedroom.

"What's eating her?" spat Ino. Hinata shrugged but couldn't help but feel bad.

Sakura marched down the stairs and left the loft through the back entrance with different Halloween costumes in mind.

I'm not letting her win this...

No way in HELL.

Was it a pride thing? Yes. Was it a jealousy thing? Absolutely. But no matter how mad she could get or how annoyed she could be, Sakura wouldn't just abandon her friends.

It was the night before Halloween and the trio began walking from Hinata's place towards the Dead End.

"So, where's Sasuke…?" asked Sakura, clad in her usual candy striper uniform. Except this time, she wasn't headed towards the hospital. The pinstriped dress was tailored to end at her mid-thigh, showing off a little bit of leg. She wore white knee-high stockings with little red bows that accented the garter. A little nurse's cap with a small red cross sat on the top of her pink head.

"He said he'll 'meet me there.' Oh my goddd, I'm so excited!" squeaked the slutty cowgirl. Her heeled boots clacked on the concrete as they entered the disturbing cul-de-sac.

"Aren't you cold, Ino?" asked Hinata, wearing a lavender tutu and a navy-colored body suit. The ballerina just shivered as she looked at Ino's denim short shorts. They were almost non-existent and Ino's shirt didn't reach that low. Shocker.

"I'm fine! Sasuke's love will keep me warm for the rest of the night," Ino purred as she twisted her finger around her one of her side ponytails. For a minute, Sakura wished she was actually at the hospital; she was going to be sick if Ino said anything more...

"Damn, this place gives me the creeps," commented the candy striper, huddling closer to her posse. The houses were incredibly large and were undeniably beautiful, maybe a hundred years ago. Now, they were completely empty and no one has lived in them for years. That still didn't change the fact that they were spooky as shit. The full moon and whistling wind added to the creepy atmosphere. At the end of the street, the mother of all haunted mansions loomed quietly behind the mist. Sakura heard about the Halloween pranks and rituals that happen around here, but she never figured she'd be one to join them.

"Oh, this is it, guys!" Ino pointed at their destination. The front yard was decorated with stringy cob webs and fake tomb stones with dorky phrases like "see you soon" or "I'll be right back." Through the windows, the girls could see flashing lights and colorful patterns. As they walked up the drive way, they could feel the pounding of the epic bass from the club music. "Ready for the first night of the rest of your LIVES!"

Ino clapped her hands excitingly. Sakura and Hinata exchanged unsure looks before following along.

When Sakura walked into the house, it was…surprisingly lively. The disco ball hanging from the high ceiling sparkled onto the dancers bumping and grinding. Strobe lights and flashing laser projectors scanned the floor and reached every corner of the house. There were large speakers pounding out heavy music that controlled the tempo of the room. The tons of students she barely recognized were from KHS, but it was hard to tell who everyone was when they were all grinding up against each other.

Ami really did a great job with the place. The old-styled house was revamped with flashing lights and techno music. The air wasn't musty or stifling at all. Even though she was a class A bitch, she really did know how to throw a party.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Ino yelled above the music. "Isn't this awesome?" Sakura could barely hear what she said, but read her lips just fine. She nodded, but signaled to Ino that she couldn't hear her. Ino quickly pulled out her phone and began to text a message:

im gonna find sasuke. TTYL!

Sakura nodded yet again. Not if I can find him first…

Ino continued to text on her phone as she tried to glide through the crowd. In a few seconds, she disappeared in the sea of moving bodies.

'Great, now's my chance!' thought Sakura as she sprinted towards the main stairwell that overlooked the entire living room. She figured a bird's eye view of the place would give her a better chance of finding him before cow-slut did. Yes, she and Ino have been best friends since diapers, but some healthy competition never hurt anyone.

This was her chance to show Sasuke how much of a not-loser-idiot she truly was. When she reached the top of the stairs, she leaned over the railing, searching through the crowd far and wide. C'mon Sasuke, where are you?

It was funny how much she went through to find a guy she originally hated with her entire being.

.

Hinata watched Ino run into the crowd and Sakura run off to…elsewhere.

"Um, guys?" she asked. No one listened. Just when she figured the night was ruined, Hinata heard a familiar voice:

"Hey Hinata!"

She spun around quickly when she heard her name and her mood lifted instantly.

"Oh, N-Naruto!"

"Long time no see, huh?" he winked and nudged his bandaged elbow at her. She blushed uncontrollably, but hoped he would just assume it was the colorful lighting. Naruto attempted the mummy costume by wrapping himself in toilet paper. It was a sad attempt, but it was still cute in a comical way.

"And wow, you look…uh, pretty! Hahaha." He scratched the back of his head and continued to laugh. Pieces of blonde started to stick out in between the wrappings.

"Th-thank you…," she murmured as she touched the hem of her tutu nervously. "…You look good too, Naruto."

Naruto picked up every mumbled word she was saying even when the music blasted behind him. After a new song started up, he took her hand and brought her out to the middle of the dance floor.

"Ah! Na-Naruto! W-Wait!"

"A ballet dancer should know how to dance right?" he grinned at her. That was what she always liked about Naruto; his silliness and smile always coaxed her own smile out of hiding. She chuckled as he twirled her around in what limited space they had.

"Hey, you're pretty good!"

.

The candy striper groaned when she couldn't find his stupid emo hair anywhere. There were a bunch of partygoers taking drinks in the corner of the room. No Sasuke there. The dance floor was crowded with an unsafe amount of people, but not one of them was him. The second floor she was on was completely empty. She rested against the balcony's railing to think. Where else could he be?

Suddenly, her ears picked up a muffled moan from a room close by. Maybe it's not so empty after all…

She slowly treaded into the quiet hallway to see multiple finely-carved doors. Not sure of which one to pick, she pressed her ear against the first door to her right. The blasting melodies from downstairs impaired most of her hearing, so she decided to rely on her sight instead. She peaked inside and just saw old-fashioned bedroom that looked surprisingly clean.

'Did Ami hire an entire cleaning crew or what?' pondered the pinkette as she closed the door. Sakura jumped as she heard a long drawn-out moan this time. It was coming from the last door on the right…

"Hello?" she asked, knocking a few times before entering. From the looks of it, it was suppose to be a storage room. There were wooden crates piled on top of one another and an old mannequin standing near the door. However, random beer bottles and party cups were scattered along the floor… When she heard the moaning again, she knew this was the right place. Sakura walked into the room to investigate and hoped to god the moans weren't from who she thought they were coming from…

When Sakura peeked behind a large pile of boxes, her stomached dropped. A purple haired girl had her back against the wood-panel wall. The expression on her face explained everything perfectly. The guy covering her greedily sucked on her exposed neck while keeping his hands firmly on her waist. Ami seemed to be enjoying the kisses quite nicely.

Well, it wasn't Ino...

So why did she still feel like the biggest idiot in the world?

Tears were welled up in her eyes and blurred her vision. She didn't want to see anymore of this…

"…Sasuke?"

The Rivalry

.

.

Please review.