Okay, now let's focus more on Sasuke and Sakura's love story. This is step one in their relationship. As what the quote says, "Everything starts with a single step."

kitten9322, ohoho, so you're a fan of ShikaIno huh? I really like them too! They're so different and so perfect for each other! *giggles*

Timber Wolf of Purity, ha ha! Thanks! I think Ino's awesome too. A lot of people hate her because she's too fan girly but I think if you look past that, she's amazing. Don't worry about Temari, she's strong. Hi hi.

Okay, so I watched this local romantic comedy movie earlier and something that the grandmother of the lead said amazed me and I was like "yeah... that's f*cking right".

The line was this: "You know, some people think that forever is not possible. Because most of them think that forever is perfect. But nothing's perfect, right? I was not a perfect wife to your grandpa and he was not a perfect husband. We just chose to believe in forever. Forever is giving one another unlimited chances to love you right everyday."

It's really sweet, right? And she have a point. Forever in love is not a state of eternity. It's a matter of accepting someone, with their good and bad, in your life and giving them your heart wholeheartedly without really caring if they will break it because you know that even if they do, it's worth it. They're worth it.

So my dear readers, believe in love and believe in forever.

Standard DISCLAIMER applied.

I present to you...

SURVIVING MY OWN STUPIDITY

Chapter 4

The Hyuuga's Foundation Festival

"Ne, Sakura- chan. Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Ino asked me as she waits for me in the library.

I'm currently encoding the new books that arrived this morning. 'More books to read for me!' She cheered inwardly.

"Ino…" I glared at her before continuing. "I don't have time to have a relationship. I'm having a hard time taking care of myself so I don't need another person to worry about, okay? And what's with the Sakura- CHAN? Just because you and Shikamaru are together now, you're changing your lifestyle? You want to change your stinking personality?"

She rolled her eyes, unmindful of my insult. "But being with someone can make you happy. You'll be less stressed. You won't look forty. You won't be sad. You won't- "

"Excuse me. I want to borrow this book." A deep, husky voice cut in.

I looked up from the monitor and saw his handsome face again. "Sasuke?"

He smirked. "Hn. What's with the look? I'm borrowing this book." He waved a thick Calculus book.

"'Kay. I need your library card." He handed it to me. "Be sure to return this in a week." I slide the card and gave it back to him along with the book.

"Hn. Thanks." He gave me a smirk before leaving.

Ino and I shared a weird look.

"OH MY GOSH FOREHEAD! UCHIHA SASUKE SMILED AT YOU!"

I forced a smile at her and noticed that the whole library is unusually quiet. I roam my eyes and saw everyone looking at me either with shocked or angry expressions. The group of girls who are always screeching about handsome boys and such were glaring daggers at me. They took the words, 'if looks could kill' to another scary level.

"Ino…" I whispered at my oblivious best friend.

"Hm?" She turned to me from grinning at her phone.

I watched the girls inside the library narrow their eyes at me. "I don't think they like me being greeted by Sasuke."

Ino tapped the top of my head. "Sasuke's just a prominent figure here in Konoha Gakuen. He doesn't talk to anyone except us, his friends. We're the only ones who can put up with his attitude." She whipped her head towards the girls who're STILL glaring at me. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? YOU WANNA FIGHT HUH? You're just pathetic low class people whom Sasuke doesn't even know exists! AND STOP LOOKING AT SAKURA!"

"He he he. Ino, calm down."

The four of us sat on our usual table at lunch, each doing our own thing. I'm reading a pocketbook that our teacher asked us to read, Hinata- chan's seriously texting, Ino's giggling while talking to her BELOVED Shikamaru on her phone and Tenten's sharpening her kunais on the table. (Wait, was that even allowed in school?)

"Mou! Otousan is such a nagger!"

All of us turned to the owner of that pissed voice, shocked.

Hinata- chan glared at her phone so out- of- characterly.

"Shika- kun… I'll call you later…" Ino put her cell phone down.

I smiled nervously, scared that Hinata- chan might snap at us or something and based from my experience, the quiet ones are usually the scary ones when mad. "W- What's wrong, Hinata- chan?"

She sighed and faced me. "Otousan keeps nagging me about the final touches in our compound. You see, it's our annual Hyuuga Foundation Festival tonight and he wants it to be more extravagant than last year. I already double- checked everything this morning and it's perfect! But he keeps on texting me like 'Are the decorations fixed?' or 'Are the foods all right?' and blah blah and blah blah and blah! Oh please! I'm doing everything I can to make it perfect and I can assure him that everything is ALREADY perfect!"

The three of us sweat dropped as we watch Hinata- chan pant after her STUTTER- FREE rant.

'Note to self, never ever EVER make Hinata-chan angry. She's really scary.' I thought.

"It's okay, Hinata- chan. I'm sure Hyuuga- san is just afraid to disappoint his family and those people who're going to attend the festival so loosen up and let him worry. He's gonna be surprised when he arrive from England." Tenten comforted without looking up from her weapons.

"Tenten's right. I have an invitation and I'm going to take Sakura with me. I'm sure you invited Tenten so we'll all be there to support you. " Ino told her.

I smiled. "Yeah. We'll be there to suppo- Wait. WHAT? INO! Will you stop deciding for me?!"

"I want that red kimono for Sakura- sama. No, not that one! The other one with the sakura leaves! Yes, that! And give me that dark green obi! Hurry up, will you? Ino- sama will be back any moment now!" Ino's personal wardrobe stylist ordered as the six maids worked on her diligently.

I sighed.

Ino's such a pain in the ass.

My boss will probably fire me if she keeps on dragging me anywhere she likes and pays me with her own money.

"Nah! Your boss will never do that. I told him that I'll supply his restaurant with a few flowers every time she lets you go with me during work hours." Ino assured me.

"And just how much does a 'few' stands for?" I asked curiously.

She just raised a brow at me. "You don't wanna know, Forehead. Trust me. You don't."

"Oh. That much."

"Sakura- sama. You may look at the mirror now. Tell us if you don't like anything at all and we'll do something about it." The stylist said as she stood up and pushed her towards the closet where the mirror covered one wall.

I turned to face the mirror and was mesmerized.

"I- Is this really me? I- I'm…"

"Gorgeous? Stunning? Lovely? I think all of those would describe you right now, Sakura- sama." Ino's stylist said and fixed her hair.

Now I DO believe in the power of cosmetics. The woman (yes, woman. I can't bring myself to call her a girl) in the mirror is staring at her with bright emerald eyes. Maybe it's the contact lenses that made it shine. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun by two sticks and a few glittery clips and let her bangs fall elegantly on her forehead. Her red kimono complimented her fair skin which she never knew she had and her green obi hugged her petite waist perfectly. All in all, the lady in the mirror is exquisitely beautiful.

"Wow…" was all I managed to say. I turn to Ino's stylist. "Thank you so much. This is more than I imagined. I never knew I could look as beautiful as this. Really, thank you."

She smiled sweetly. "You're welcome, my dear. You need to have a confidence in yourself. You are pretty in your own way."

I giggled. I like her already.

"Wow, Forehead. Who would've thought you'd look like this when you have a makeover." Ino said appreciatively while standing at the doorway with her hands on her hips, looking like a model.

I shook my head. "Me neither. Not that I can say that to you, you've always been the fashionista."

Ino… Well, she's Ino. She wore a lavender kimono with a lot of silk and her black obi has a silver strings attached to it. Her long hair was braided loosely and hung on her left shoulder. She held a small silver hand bag. I have to say, Ino really looks good in everything she wears.

"Huh. It's good you have your respects, Forehead."

"Whatever. How's Tenten? Was her torture too traumatic that she can't move?" I joked, knowing that Tenten's behind her, sulking.

Tenten hated makeovers as much as Ino hated books.

"Shut up, Sakura." Tenten appeared next to Ino, scowling. "I had fun. Can't you see?"

Tenten looked really girly and… so pretty. She had twin pigtails which looked a lot girlier than her usual twin buns hairstyle. She didn't have that much makeup on but her face looked radiant. Her pink kimono and maroon obi was simple but it made her look sweet and innocent.

"Ha ha. You look great, Tenten. It's nice to see you've accepted that girls wear girl's clothes." I retorted.

"Hmph."

"Geez. Stop driving each other crazy. Let's go. Hinata's probably waiting for us already." Ino pulled Tenten and I out of the room.

"Ino- chan, Sakura- chan, Tenten- chan! Y- You all made it." Hinata-chan greeted us cheerfully at the top of the shrine that was part of the Hyuuga Estate.

She wore a white kimono and blue obi like everyone else in the Hyuuga clan.

"Oh, come on, Hinata- chan. How shameful of you to think that we'll abandon you in times like this." I told her while roaming my eyes at the place. As Hinata- chan assured us yesterday, everything's perfect. The whole place is decorated with expensive decorations and daisies. "Wow, Hinata- chan. This place is really beautiful. You've gone all out huh."

"Thanks! Come on, I'll take you to the others. They've arrived earlier."Hinata walked towards one of the temples.

Ino look up from her phone. "Yep, Shika- kun's here already." She also looked around the place. "I have to say, Hinata- chan, I like the way you arranged the daisies. My assistant told me you wanted to arrange it yourself."

Hinata-chan smiled shyly. "Thanks. Yes, I didn't want to bother your workers so I asked mine to do the job. Tousan likes it when I work personally. Something about training for the future."

I turned to Tenten who's been quiet since we got here. She keeps looking around like she's searching for something… or someone. Hmmm. Suspicious. I smiled at Hinata- chan. "But why daisies?"

She smiled back. "Kaasan loves daisies and she doesn't like festivals so he makes sure she enjoys our foundation festival by using her favorite flowers."

"How sweet." Tenten mumbled.

Ino shot Hinata and me a meaningful glance before asking Tenten. "So, my dear friend, I've heard a few interesting rumors about you these days."

"Huh? Me? What about?"

"Oh, nothing important. Just about you and… Hyuuga Neji." Ino grinned.

We watched as Tenten flush a deep red and cough to TRY but unfortunately failed to regain her composure. " U- Uh, what about that guy? He's just my sparring partner."

"Sparring partner, eh? That's not what my very reliable source told me." Ino wriggled her eyebrows.

"You know, Ino- pig. I think the word partner refers to something of, or I don't know, someone very important." I shrugged indifferently.

Tenten narrowed her eyes at us for a long time. We stopped walking to interrogate her. And then she sighed.

"I give up. Whoever your very reliable source is, he's right." Tenten reached for something inside her kimono and revealed a necklace with an expensive looking ring as its pendant. "We've been together since last year. I didn't want to publicize our relationship since I know about the Hyuuga's strict rule about poor partners. I don't want to put Neji- kun in a difficult situation."

We all gaped at her, unprepared of her confession.

"Before you continue your story, I want to tell you that we're just messing with you. Right girls?" Ino grinned at Tenten.

"WHAT? You little piece of-"

"Aaaaah! Ruuuuuun! Ha ha ha!"

I sighed as I made my way through the shabby trees. I'm sure I heard water somewhere here.

Everyone's having fun at the festival.

Ino's making Shikamaru catch her three goldfish which she said stands for 'I love you' and he doesn't have any choice but to comply. It's not like he's not enjoying it. I saw him smile every time Ino nags him so I'm sure he's having fun as much as she does.

Tenten and Neji suddenly disappeared after all of us ate with the Hyuuga clan. I'm pretty sure they're busy making out in one of the temples here. The way they looked at each other made them uncomfortable to look at. They looked really in love and ready to go (if you know what I mean). I just hoped they finish high school first before the fire between them bears a fruit.

Naruto dragged Hinata along with him. He said Hinata should loosen up and that he's going to teach her the real meaning of fun. Everyone just rolled their eyes at that. It's pretty obvious Hinata likes him just from the way she blushes when he's around. Maybe she just needs some time to confess to him because it will take her a LIFETIME to wait if she waits for that dense Naruto- baka to realize his feelings.

I shook my head. Everyone's paired up. Not that I'm envious or something. Love is still at the far end of my list and I'm not planning on falling in love anytime soon.

Now that I mention it, I saw another single guy walk around earlier. Too bad Sasuke doesn't like company, moreover, a talkative one like me.

"Finally." I whispered, triumphant after seeing the wide lake in the middle of the sakura trees.

I spotted a huge rock beside the lake, a good place to sit and dip my sore feet in the warm water. Well, it looks warm.

After finally accomplishing my leisure plan, I smiled. "Aaaah. This is the life."

The full moon shone brightly above me and the silent splash of the water calmed me.

I closed my eyes.

"Kaasan…"

This was me and my mother's favorite pastime. Before she got sick, we would go to the river near her office every night to do this; watch the moon, listen to the crickets and share each other's secrets.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

It was really silent there that I was startled to hear that deep voice behind me.

I jerked up and saw the smirking handsome face of none other than Uchiha Sasuke. "S- Sasuke! You scared me! What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?"

Sasuke just shrugged and fixed his dark blue kimono with the Uchiha symbol on the back and sat beside me on the rock. "Hn. You're noisy… AND annoying."

I eyed him suspiciously but he just stared at me nonchalantly. "Tss. I'm not gonna let you spoil my night, Uchiha Sasuke." I sat beside him and dip my feet in the water again.

We stayed like that for a while, quiet and calm.

"So what are you doing here, Sasuke?" I decided to talk to him to fill the awkward silence. I hate that.

"It's too crowded in there." He answered.

I looked down on the clear water. "Oh. Then why did you attend the festival? I bet you know the Hyuuga's Foundation Festival will be crowded." I asked him again.

He sighed. "You're annoying."

"Huh? Well, sor- ry. I just can't help asking if something's bothering me." I told him and looked at the stars.

"You're bothered by me coming here?" I heard him ask.

"What? No. No! Why should I? I mean, I was just curious. You're attending a festival but ends up being alone." I seem to say that to myself too. "I really don't understand people like that. Myself included. I'm like this in every festivals I attended. Instead of enjoying the event by trying those different games and eating, I find looking at the night sky more fun."

"Hn. You're a weird girl. Stop being so curious. It's not usually good." He said.

My eyes drifted to this stoic guy beside me. He's looking at me. I blushed and luckily, the moon's our only source of light. I smiled at him. "Being curious makes me learn so much about life. The feeling of being curious, it makes me happy."

He stared at the moon. Did his lips twitch? Is he smiling? Oh, he's not. "Well, let's leave it as that. There's no use changing someone's mind who's already happy."

I smiled at him before turning to also look at the moon. "You know, Sasuke? You're a nice guy to talk to. Except the 'you're annoying' thingy."

I heard him scoff at that.

And then we were enveloped by that silence again, quiet and calm.

But little did both of us know, there were three pair of eyes watching us.

Actually, glaring would be the right word.

End of Chapter 4

This is the longest chapter so far. I have to warn you guys- not that you don't notice it already- Sasuke's a bot OOC here. Well, this is AU. His family's alive and he didn't witness any massacre so it's all good. The Sasuke in the recent manga updates was really talkative. I think if his family weren't killed and all, he would be one cool guy who actually talks without snapping at someone.

Anyway, this is the start of Sakura's Cinderella moments (being swept up of her feet by dear 'ol Prince Charming).

That's it. Continue the support!

K. See you next chapter!

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inna