Disclaimer: I really don't own Naruto.

A/N: well, the first chapter was surprising but there would be more surprises next time!

Chapter Two: Introduction!

The school bell rang for the fifth time this morning. Less than five minutes the students dashed madly outside the double doors of the academy's main entrance. It was already dismissal time and everyone was no likely less than happy that they can finally get to do what they want to do.

Inside the classroom, the pink – haired teenager finished putting all of her things inside her bag when she heard her name being called.

"Sakura! Are you almost done? We're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, stuffing the rest of her things in a quick swoop then ran outside of the classroom to meet with her friends.

Yamanaka Ino, her childhood best friend waved a hand at her direction. She was sitting at their usual spot underneath the Sakura tree at the back of their school overlooking the basketball courts. Sakura flashed her friend a big smile then ran towards her, sitting at her usual spot and leaning against the sturdy trunk of the tree.

"Aahh…this feels comfortable," she drawled. "I still can't believe that after senior year we're off to college!"

Ino chuckled. "Yeah. But the bottom line of that Saku – chan is that we never got to have any boyfriends."

"Oh yes I do!" Sakura sat up straight, her green eyes full of fortitude. She pointed a finger towards a basketball court that was currently being used by the boys. A blush crept up her face as she made Ino look at a particular boy with glass eyes.

Ino laughed at her friend. "Him? You can't be serious, Haruno Sakura! That boy you're pointing at is the most popular boy in Konoha Academy!"

"So what? Neji – kun and I have been go out for 4 years! Don't tell me I haven't told you the juicy details yet!" Sakura protested.

Ino patted her friend on top of her pink head. "Yah, yah I got the picture. But Sakura, the guy's been known as the number one playboy in the academy. Are you sure that you're not affected by the way he treats those girls?"

Sakura crinkled her nose in disgust. "Those cheerleaders can only gloat but they can't glomp."

"And how sure are you, Sakura – chan?"

"I'm sure!"

Ino gave a teasing smile as she wormed her hand inside Sakura's bag. She pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper then read what is inside. "Oh really? Then what does this mean? An application for the school's cheerleading squad?"

Sakura blushed furiously. "That's none of your business!" She ripped the paper from Ino. "I just wanted to stay close to Neji – kun!"

"As if. Sakura – chan, since when are you going to stop yourself in fantasizing this guy? He's been using you since junior high and I was the only witness in your suicidal threats and tendencies," Ino hooted. She flicked a strand of blond hair away from her face.

Her friend's words struck a chord in her heart. As much as she loved Hyuuga Neji as much as she loved her own life, there are times when Neji would push her buttons to the limit. When they first started as a couple, Sakura found out his flirting spree when saw him unexpectedly inside the mall with a girl and at the school clinic having a lip lock with the nurse.

Instead of being disgusted, Sakura thought that this was Neji's own way of making her notice on what they lacked in their relationship. To make his boyfriend happy, she had undergone all odds and the shame of being caught kissing in public, wearing skimpy clothing and an almost quick romp in the back seat of his car.

Luckily Ino had called her in her phone before things might have gotten worse. As far as she knew her love for him was deeper than the ocean, she could be pretty dense that her very own boyfriend was already cheating her right at her face. So, instead of arguing over Ino's judgment, Sakura knew that she was right.

But she couldn't let go of Neji.

She loved him too much to even think of it.

Ino was appreciating her thoughts. She snapped a finger in front of Sakura's face, bringing her out of her reverie. "Oi, forehead girl! You're staring out into space again!"

She only blinked.

"You know," Ino started, licking her lips. "If you weren't so infatuated with that Hyuuga playboy, I'd say you would've been hooked up with another boy that wouldn't treat you the way like he does."

Sakura gave a sigh. "As much as I wanted to do that for years, Ino – chan, sad to say I'm still in love with him. No one can change that."

Ino fiddled with the hem in her skirt as she was watching something amusing at the corner of her eye. Two brawny guys were chasing after a really dorky kid with foggy thick glasses. 'Bullies', she concluded in her thoughts as she continued watching them. The nerd just rounded up a corner. And that corner happens to be a dead end.

"Poor guy."

"Poor? Who's poor? Ino – chan?"

Ino turned to his best friend. "Nothing. Say, Sakura – chan… what if you ended up with someone else besides Neji what would you do?"

Sakura tapped her chin. "Well, as long as the guy is handsome then that's okay."

"Ha – ha." Ino began to smile evilly. "And what if the guy you happened to be in love with happens to be a dork? Imagine, a nerdy guy with all the worst looks, the worst fashion, hell, the worst living being on earth is going to sweep you off your feet!"

"That will never happen, Ino – chan!" Sakura answered defiantly. Her stuck with a nerd? She would never dare to show her place in public again! Just like her boyfriend Neji, she had a reputation to take care of. She was one of the most popular girls in Konoha academy, next to her best friend.

Ino laughed so hard that her sides were aching. "All right! All right! I was just kidding! It's just that it would be so funny if you forehead girl would get stuck with a lame brain dorkhead."

Sakura crossed her arms. "That would be so totally embarrassing!"

"I agree. I totally agree."

"Where do ya think he is?"

"Yeah. He's already late."

"Do you think he got stuck in the dumpster?"

"Maybe."

The blond haired kid with whiskers rubbed his cheek in exasperation. "Looks like we're going to save him again." He raised a hand towards his other companion. "Let's go T."

"Right on."

…………

At the other side of the school…

"Where do you think he is?"

"Looks like he escaped us once again!"

"Look everywhere! He might be around!"

As the brawny guys scampered around to look for their prey, the dumpster behind them opened and a dark head with a banana peel stuck on its head peeked out. He scanned the entire surroundings with his thick foggy glasses before opening the entire cover of the dumpster.

He ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Damn it. This is the tenth time this morning. Now I have to go home again and take a shower."

"Whoeee… did someone retch their guts out on you? You don't need a shower. I think a nice long bath would suit you."

He whirled his head towards the direction of the voice. A smirk went through his face. "Instead of insulting my state of uncleanliness, why don't you guys help me out of this junkster?"

"No way! You stink, Suke!" the blond's brown haired companion stepped back jokingly. "You'll spill your dirty guts on my clothes! I don't want my popularity to go down by zero!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Naruto's right. You really need drum loads of water to remove those filth in your clothes, nerdy."

"If you weren't a girl, I would've pulled you in here, Ten Ten."

"I'm a tomboy in case you didn't notice, Suke! Want me to dunk your head in the dumpster?"

The blond gave a smirk. "No can do. But since you desperately need us then we're glad to help you." He and Ten Ten grabbed each of the raven-haired boy's arms then hauled him out of the trash dump. After closing the dumpster shut, they teased their friend by pinching their noses.

"Eewww…"

"Quit it. Give me a ride, Naruto. We're cutting class. I'm already stinkin' flies here," the poor guy retorted, also pinching his nose. He was also aware of the offending smell seeping out from his clothes. Naruto and Ten Ten laughed at his remark.

"Sure, sure, Suke. As you wish."

Back in the physical education building, Sakura waited patiently for Neji to come out of the boys' locker room. She was still hesitating if she would pass her cheerleading application or not. Well, if her plan goes well, she will be a cheerleader and then Neji would be very happy. They would spend lots of times together.

"Thinking about something?"

She broke out of her thoughts when she saw the handsome face of her boyfriend hovering a few inches away from her. She smiled. "I was just thinking about you, Neji – kun."

"Lucky me." Neji sat down next to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He noticed a sheet of paper held tightly in her hand. "What are you holding?" he asked, pulling the paper away from her hand. He opened it then scanned its contents.

"You're going to try out for cheerleading, Saku – chan?"

His girlfriend flushed beneath his gaze. "I… yes. I want to try cheerleading for a change."

"You don't need cheerleading, Saku – chan. You are one of the most beautiful girls here in school. You don't need to impress me," Neji replied huskily in her ear. Sakura blushed deeper when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Neji – kun…"

He tilted her chin upwards and was about to kiss her when something offending reached past their nostrils. They instantly jerked away from each other as they tried to find the offending substance that totally destroyed their romantic mood.

"Eeww… what is that offending smell?" Sakura asked, pinching her nose in disgust.

Neji looked around then a smirk settled on his face as he watched a certain someone with banana peels and waste clinging to his body and walking towards the exit of the school, with two people trailing behind him. "I think someone was thrown into the dumpster again."

"Who? The 'nerd'?" she asked.

"Yep. The nerd. I wonder when will he ever stop attending this school. The guys are out there tackling him just like a fish in their water. Even though he's already in senior year he's still a dork," Neji replied.

Sakura nodded in agreement. As much as she felt pity on the poor guy, who was she to disagree on her boyfriend's notion? They might start on another argument again if she will defend the nerd. Even though she didn't know anything about the poor guy.

Neji stood up from the bleachers and grabbed Sakura's school bag. He slung it over his shoulder then turned to her. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Sakura chimed in, lacing her fingers through his as they walked towards the outside of the physical education building hand in hand. Well, despite those simple things, she was still happy because she was leaving high school with a fantastic life, a fantastic boyfriend and a fantastic reputation.

BAM!

"Geez, you don't need to be mad at me, you bastard! I know that I drive bad but you don't need to knock me out with your fist!"

The raven-haired teenager walked towards the living room, the scent of the wastes from the dumpster permeating the whole room. A young man of about twenties entered the room, a hand flapping above his face in attempts of fanning away the scent. "What is that offending smell?"

"None of your business." The boy entered his room at the far end of the hall and slammed the door shut. Naruto and Ten Ten greeted the older man with a smirk on their faces.

Naruto raised a hand in greeting. "Yo! Itachi – san!"

Itachi returned his greeting with a nod. Ten Ten snickered while Naruto kept a smirk pasted on his face. The older man looked at them, curiosity shown in his dark orbs. "Is there something that you wished to tell me?"

Naruto still smirked. "He got dumped in the trash pile for the tenth time, Itachi – san."

Itachi gave a snort. "Tsk. Figures. I should've known that this would happen. That stupid little brother of mine."

"He really likes to make things complicated, Itachi – san! We already gave him warnings since the first day of junior high school. He's just too bullheaded," Naruto snickered. Ten Ten gave a giggle next to him.

They heard the faucet being turned shut and they heard the bathroom door open. Itachi craned his neck towards the direction of the room, a knowing smirk still on his face. "Looks like he's done. Why don't you guys crash inside his bunk while I dial the pizza boy? Looks like he's going to have a lot of explaining to do after his biggest feat at school."

Naruto returned his smirk with another. He motioned for Ten Ten to follow him. "You betcha. Let's go, T."

"Right on! Thanks for your time, Itachi – san!" Ten Ten said then dashed towards their friend's room in a hurry.

Itachi gave a sigh as he went towards the phone at the other end of the hall.

"Chill it dude! We know you're mad and all so why don't you just do something? You could easily crumple those guys with just your fist!" Naruto commented as he watched their friend clad only in his boxers and rummaging inside his closet for a change of clothes.

Ten Ten gave a sigh as she plopped down in his neatly made bed. "Honestly, up until now we still don't understand why you're doing this. You could easily quit this charade and revert to your usual self. You're not really a 'geek' in the first place you know, S-A-S-U-K-E."

"I can't go back to who I was before, T." Sasuke pulled out a black T-shirt from his closet then slammed it shut. He slung it over his shoulder all the while running his hands through his raven hair. His hair reverted back to its spiky appearance unlike the slicked back ponytail he wore at school. He threw his glasses on his dresser and glared at the mirror next to his closet.

"Yeah, Sasuke! You have the looks, the bod, everything a bloody warm woman would ever wanted to in a guy!" Naruto gave another lazy smile as he playfully tackled Ten Ten who was sitting in bed. Ten Ten gave a loud shriek as she elbowed Naruto in the ribs then tumbled him onto his back so that she was above him.

"Itai! That hurts, T!"

"That should teach you not to mess with a woman jackass!"

"So you do admit that you're a chick, T?"

"Never! Asshole!"

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck idly. "Yeah, yeah whatever. Quit it you jerkasses, you're messing my bed."

They stopped wrestling each other. Ten Ten gave a playful punch in Naruto's stomach then removed herself above him. Naruto sat up, wincing in pain. "Itai… I need to go to the hospital," he finally blurted out. "You won T. I don't believe this!"

Ten Ten on the other hand, cracked her knuckles. "You got that right!"

Sasuke sat on his chair next to the computer. "You guys are so violent."

"Yeah! Look who's talking right here!" Ten Ten stood up from the bed and approached Sasuke, poking him not so gently on the chest. "You're the only one we're waiting to come out of your shell, Sasuke! Living the life of a jerk is so pitiful. Why choose to live it when your life was already good from the beginning?" she asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "I just like to. No need to scold me like an old lady, T."

"I'm not old, dammit!"

"Chill it. Jeez, T. You are so uptight these days. Don't tell me it's that time of the month!" Naruto asked from the bed.

"No it's not that time of the month! Now you're gonna get it, foxface!" Ten Ten yelled like a banshee, leaping towards Naruto to beat him again. Sasuke gave a sigh as he rubbed his head again then without word leapt toward them to join in the fun.

"All right, you guys. Pizza's here," Itachi said as he opened the door to Sasuke room and peeked inside.

Nighttime came and Naruto and Ten Ten left after dinner. Itachi crossed his arms as he watched his brother sitting on the couch at the living room flipping channels from the remote. Sasuke didn't look at him but he knew that he was being watched.

"You don't need to stare at me like that. I'm not going to melt from that laser – like eyes of yours."

"Tough. They told me about what happened to you at school, otouto."

Sasuke sighed as he sank back in the couch. Itachi approached him and sat on the opposite side. He regarded his older brother with a dark look. "I guess they will eventually tell you sooner or later. Yeah, I ended up in the dumpster for the tenth time because some guys were chasing me to do their pathetic homework. Happy now?"

Itachi poked him at the forehead. "You're really a foolish little brother. You could just punch them in the guts and make them sorry they hurt you. Didn't chichi taught you the lessons in self – defense?"

"Right he did. I just don't want to."

"You're so pathetic. Like Ten Ten had said before, you're not really a dorky nerd. Nothing will come out of your charade, Sasuke."

"You're contradicting me in whatever I say." Sasuke stood up from the couch and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms in mock antipathy. "As much as I respect you, 'nisan, you don't need to tell me what to do."

"Not really." Itachi leaned back in his seat then sighed. "After being in the correctional facility for five years, I highly doubt you would ever respect me."

Sasuke gave a smile. "Even if you stayed there for a lifetime, my respect for you remains the same."

His older brother only shrugged. "Whatever."

Content in his brother's answer, Sasuke was about to retreat to his room when he heard his brother's voice from the living room. "Tomorrow we'll be going back to the house to visit chichi and haha. Some sort of a reunion party."

"As if that would even matter to me," Sasuke retorted then slammed his door shut. Itachi smirked at his brother's hot – bloodedness. Particularly at his reaction when he told him that they will be visiting their parents tomorrow.

Sasuke hated going back to their childhood home.

And Sasuke hated their parents from the very beginning.

A/N: Yeah! Chapter Two done! And I decided to make Itachi pretty nice here. He really needs to take a break from being a villain. You all agree with me, right? Yeah, Naruto and Ten Ten are Sasuke's friends. They're quite a violent bunch but that's okay. Oh, and Sakura and Neji are an item here. Next stop, Chapter Three: The Reunion.

Replies to the reviews:

Essiej – wow! Arigatou gozaimashita! I'll do my best in the next few chapters!

Tishu – well, here's the answer to your questions:

Well, I think he's 18 or 19. It's a bit different in Japan though…

Pairings, well… I have to think about it!

Update? Well I'm updating now!

Koharu kage – thanks for your review! And arigatou, it is a new concept; I'm still thinking of what romance to put in this story.

Khaz – well, yes! Sasuke is a nerd here! And like you said, I will continue!

Sportiegrl – well, I 'intentionally' made him a geek. Thanks for the review!

Narutofan4ever – thanks for finding it interesting! See you in the next chapter!

Inuyashafangirl333 – yeah, I agree, he's a poor nerd. But things will run smoothly for him in the next chapters. I hope. Thanks for the review! Oh, I don't have any rice… I ate it all!

Aria's star – thanks for the review! Yeah, his personality is waayyy… different, I'm surprised that you get to see yourself in him. Oh, and don't need to beg! I'm updating! I'm updating already!

Itchinhi – thanks for the review! I didn't know that this one is original!

InuyashaHELP – waahhhh! Please don't hurt me! I'll give you the names of those bullies instead! Anyways, thanks you for the review!