MisoHime

Author's Note:

Original Note:

Oh hello, it's been quite a while since I've updated this story. I actually submitted a one-shot a while ago.

Thank you to everyone who read/favorited/reviewed my other story: "Fuzzy Socks, Smelly Underwear". Do check it out of you haven't read it already, the link is available on my profile.

To my reviewer:

- Angelic101: Thank you again for checking out my story! Your support means a lot to me. My recent one shot was written in your honor, I hope you check it out.

Updated 2016 Note:

This chapter was read and reviewed on 21st May 2016.

You know, I realize that though I plan for most of the chapters to be relatively long, sometimes they end up far longer than I intend for them to be.
I never know how much I end up adding until I review it to be published and I'm baffled that some chapter can amount to over 10,000 words before Author's Note.
This can also be said for these old chapters I'm rewriting.

I start university again on Monday, which is a bummer because I haven't studied for my mid-semester exam or completed my assignments.
Anyway, here's the updated version of Chapter 6.

◊▫ 星の十字 ▫◊

Hoshina no Kurosu

Roku

ジュリエット対ロミオ

Romeo tai Juliet

"That was a most youthful jump, indeed! Yes! Yes! Very youthful!" An over exuberant Gai-sensei declared, his shiny black hair cut into a horrid bowl-cut that reminded Sakura terribly of an old-fashioned geezer. What was equally disturbing was his mini-me.

Gai's green leotard stretched over his long limbs as he jerked into a pose, one hand stuck in a "thumbs up" position as he he grinned with his mouthful of shiny white teeth.

Sakura groaned with absolute embarrassment. There were few things in life that she considered cringe-worthy. Gai-sensei's tendency to be absolutely shameless with his "youthful" exclamations and stark green fashion sense definitely fell into that category. Not even Naruto's disgustingly bright orange jacket could compare.

The sun overhead reflected the blinding white of the odd teacher's teeth, casting a glare that could have stunned even a blind man. He showed no sign of noticing the grimaces and averted looks of his subordinates as he continued to spring into multiple one-handed push ups to express his joy.

Shaking her head demurely, Sakura ran a hand through her own pink locks and winced when her fingers caught a few snares. Her own hair was sweaty from exercise, the afternoon heat that bore down making her gym clothes stick to her skin.

The wooden bench on the side of the massive green field was warm from the sun's rays. Though the day had been beautifully clear, it did nothing to help the students who were currently suffering in last period gym class.

Sakura cringed from the sensation of her sweaty skin sticking on the surface of the bench as she bent down to stretch her legs before reaching over to grab a bottle of chilled water.

Her parched throat relaxed from the sensation of the cool liquid. It eased the discomfort from having spent the last hour practicing their high jumps.

Though Sakura had never been the most athletic in her grade, she certainly took the effort to remain healthy. She was in good shape, but not even she could keep up with Gai's crazy regime of a hundred laps on top of an immeasurable amount of other exercises.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura leaned back in her palms and watched the rest of her classmates take their turns on the high jump. The field before them was flat and green, surrounded by thick trees that were beginning to shed their leaves.

It was unusually hot today. Summer was ending and it was entering into Autumn, but Konoha was a city in the tropics. The weather would continue to burn hot on certain days before the climate completely changed to cold Autumn, then snowy Winter.

It was one of the unusual things about living in the Fire Country, Sakura presumed. Their seasons ended up being slightly delayed and erratic. The transition period between the seasons meant that some days it would be cold, some days it would be hot, and while it was interesting to be able to experience such drastic types of weather on alternating days, it could also be a huge inconvenience to not be able to predict the weather of the days ahead.

Her green eyes drifted from the lush nature around her to watch as her gym teacher sprang upright from his position on the grass to continue unconsciously terrorizing the rest of the remaining students with his overexcited reactions.

Sakura remained relaxed on the stretch of the bleachers until the loud bell from the campus building rang, signalling the end of the period.

Multiple students limped over from the field, collapsing into the empty seats. Some reached for their refreshments as they panted for air. Clearly Gai-sensei had unknowingly pushed some of them too hard today.

Sympathising, Sakura stood from her seat and collected her belongings before making her way to the locker rooms for a quick shower. Along the way, she caught sight of Tenten, with her hair pulled up into two buns as she stretched. The other girl caught Sakura's eye and smiled as she waved, signalling that she would see her later that evening for their first rehearsal.

Sakura nodded in reply as she strolled casually past the doors of the woman's locker room in search of a vacant shower stall. With her last period over and done with, it would be only another hour before the scheduled time for their first ever rehearsal of the play.

The thought immediately brought a grin to Sakura's face. It had been almost a week since the official cast list was confirmed. Tonight, they would congregate to have their first rehearsal. Kurenai had not listed any information as to what she had in store for them, but it did not matter to the pinkette.

She was ready for anything.

The auditorium was a school facility that was located next to the Art's Block. The building, which housed it's own office, included multiple small halls and a large, main theatre that was the setting for not only many important school functions, but also the performing productions.

The building itself was old, having been there since the start of the school. While the exterior architecture was weathered and boring, the interior spaces were what Sakura thought really brought the place to life. It was old with character. The floors were mostly hardwood, with certain areas of the floorboard creaking from it's old age. The walls were a deep brown wallpaper, with cream cornices running the length of the rooms. The entire place smelt like a dream; a mixture of cloth, paper and the lingering scent of flowers that decorated the halls during functions.

It was Sakura's favourite place on campus.

The auditorium was usually closed off the the students when it was not in use. Seeing as there were not many performances throughout the year, it was closed most of the time, but Sakura still loved it. During her rare moments when she had craved the privacy that couldn't be sought when the library was too popular, Sakura had crept into the old theatre wing to revel in the solace that came with the empty stage. It was mostly locked, and that made those few occasions that she had managed to sneak in all the more special.

Sadly, as she climbed in the years of her education, she had less and less time to be able to visit the old ampitheatre. The last time Sakura had managed to visit was more than a year ago.

Since then, there had been few changes to the antique interior. Most of the chairs in the main hall had been reupholstered, and the drapes that covered the padded walls were in the midst of getting replaced.

Her shoes made muted sounds when she padded into the vast space and the smell of wood polish tickled her nose as she made her way deeper into the belly of the building. The double doors she pushed through groaned with squeaky hinges - rusty from neglect.

The petite girl stood by the doors and took a moment to just absorb the atmosphere. From her position, she could see downwards into the large expanse of the theatre. Steps lead down in two aisles, splitting the seating area into three sections. The depth of the slope allowed a great view to every aspect of the stage no matter where one sat.

By far, Sakura's favourite spot in the entire room was the main stage. The room was vast, much like a traditional English theatre. The wood floors here were a dark mahogany, while the raised stage at the front of the room was slightly lighter in colour. The wallpaper was patterned with a floral motif while the bottom half was panelled with wood to match the dark flooring. Spotlights headed the ceiling at the front of the stage, angled at varying degrees to shine at different areas of the platform. The dim lighting of the rest of the room casted shadows along the crevices of the towering space; setting the theatre in a very cozy ambiance.

Some areas of the theatre, however, were rotting and a little worse for wear. Seeing as the building was so old, it came to no surprise that the carpeting of the front entrance and the stairs needed to be replaced soon. Parts of the fabric were soiled and peeling, collecting dirt and other questionable particles underneath the residual carpet glue.

Sakura's green eyes roved over the room while she walked down the steps on the right. It seemed as if most of the cast members had already arrived, no doubt just as excited as she about getting started.

Her own eager high made her buzz with enough emotion to act circles around the original Juliet. She couldn't deny that she was looking forward to unleashing her talent, even if it meant having to stand within a five-meter range of Uchiha Sasuke without trying to scratch his eyes out.

She exchanged some small talk with a few of her fellow classmates as she made her way to sit on the edge of the stage. Majority of the main cast had settled in small groups on the actual stage, with only a few congregating at the seats nearby. Sakura had never been particularly close to any of them, but she had maintained a easy friendship with many from years of being in the same grade.

Her feet dangled off stage, and Sakura absently swung them as she waited for the last of the cast and crew to arrive.

"Good evening, Ugly."

Sakura twisted her head around at the sound of Sai's teasing voice. He was dressed with his usual outlandish garb, one hand holding onto a sketchbook while his other braced against the floor next to her while he lowered himself to sit.

"You disappeared yesterday." He stated, nodding in farewell to a few of the other art students he arrived with as they dispersed to join their own friends.

Sakura shrugged indifferently. "I had a... unfortunate run in."

Sai frowned at her, "Daijōbu? What happened?"

Sakura caught sight of Tenten as the brunette entered the theatre, an excited Lee bouncing beside her. She kept her eyes on the newest arrivals as she answered, "Daijōbu, but let's just say I certainly won't be so careless anymore."

Sai didn't reply, but kept his curious eyes on Sakura as he prodded her silently for a deeper explanation.

Turning away from her people-watching, Sakura met his inquisitive gaze, sighing.

"I was late and took a shortcut through the art studios," At this, Sai's mouth twitched a from amusement while his eyes remained serious, "unfortunately the notorious art enthusiasts of Konoha caught me."

The laughter in Sai's eyes faded immediately. He had clearly understood what that meant. As a fellow art major himself, Sai must have filled in the blanks of the story as to what had happened. It was a well known fact, after all, that the two seniors took their craft a little too seriously - something Sakura learnt all too well the afternoon prior.

Concern lined his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What did they do to you?"

Her nose wrinkled from her discomfort at the question. She had been trying to avoid thinking about what had, indeed, happened. After Sasuke had left her at the studio, Sakura had spent a good few minutes standing still, with a somewhat bewildered look on her face as she tried to gather her wits. The eventful afternoon had been almost too much for her to handle. It didn't help that she was now sporting a rather blue-black bruise on her side from where she had crashed into the metal workbench. When she had attempted to recap the events, all she could process was the fact that she had almost been attacked by a vicious blonde, squashed by a massive shelf and then saved by her biggest enemy.

How did she sum up all of that?

"Nothing!" She quickly assured him, hesitating for a second before continuing on, "they almost did, but... Uchiha Sasuke showed up."

Her friend's expression changed to a blank one as he blinked, confused by her answer.

"As in Asshole Uchiha?"

'The one and very same' Sakura thought, licking her lips nervously.

Sai looked as puzzled as she had been, but before he could open his mouth to comment, the room echoed with the sound of two sharp claps.

"Thank you all for coming today!"

Sakura and Sai turned from their conversation to witness Kurenai stride into the room with a vivacious Anko behind. Both females walked in with assured steps, confidence equally as dominating as they commanded everyone's attention. Out of the two of them, Sakura was more familiar with the long, dark-haired woman. Seeing as Kurenai had been her English & Literature lecturer for the past two years, she was well acquainted with the older female's personality. Anko, on the other hand, wasn't somebody that Sakura knew very well. She had heard over the years that the spunky haired woman was rough, self-assured and a perfectionist that could sometimes come across as ruthless. She seemed around the same age, if not a little younger, than Kurenai, but less feminine than the other. She wore no heels or wrap dress, instead donning a beige jacket with some cargos.

Sakura and her fellow cast mates remained silent as the purple haired teacher took a seat by the director's desk while Kurenai walked up onto the stage - where all but the famous Uchiha had already gathered.

Kurenai's black heels tapped on the hardwood floor of the stage as she climbed up the steps to stand before the students. Her black hair was curly and artfully tangled, gleaming under the spotlight like a shiny curtain. She paused, hands on hips as she looked over the crowd of eyes awaiting.

The sound of a door opening broke the calm silence and a figure walked down the steps of the theatre, approaching the stage where the mass of people were located. The shadows from the auditorium shielded the figure, but from the tall silhouette and casually cocky swagger, Sakura could tell that it was none other than Sasuke.

"Ah, our leading male!" The red lipstick that bordered Kurenai's mouth stretched as she smiled at the advancing Uchiha.

Sakura observed him while he took his time to climb up the steps of the raised platform. He offered no apology for his tardiness, simply nodding in acknowledgement to Kurenai. Sasuke ignored the groups of people seated on the floor, opting to lean against the nearby wall just as Naruto's loud voice called from across the stage in greeting to his closest friend.

The sight of him - impassive, even bordering on cold - made Sakura ponder as to how it had been this very same man whom had saved her yesterday. The connection was unlikely and difficult to establish. She wondered how somebody who seemed to always be either emotionless or angry, could possibly land the role as Romeo - a character whose emotions ranged from fervour to heartsick.

He met her eyes from across the stage and a cold look glazed over the dark colour of his irises. The intensity of his mental guard reminded Sakura of her dislike and she frowned at him unhappily before turning away to listen to their director.

"I am so pleased with the great turnout at auditions!" In her hands, Kurenai flipped through a few papers of the clipboard, "By now, I'm sure you have all learnt of your roles."

A group of girls at the back of the room giggled excitedly. All around, people nodded their heads in confirmation. Sakura couldn't help but notice that a few looks were shot towards her and Sasuke. As she expected, she was not the only one surprised by the fact that Kurenai had chosen to pair them together as the leads. If the older woman was oblivious to the bad blood that ran between the Haruno's and Uchiha's, then she would be in for a very unpleasant surprise once they got into the real rehearsal.

Kurenai flipped a tumble of black hair over her shoulder, not even noticing the nervous murmurs of gossip that emerged from the seated individuals. She continued onwards, her eyes reading over her documents.

"With that said, we shall begin with some ice-breakers before we do some character understanding."

Maroon-lacquered nails flicked papers back to place. Kurenai lowered her clipboard and looked around at the faces.

"Today is all about knowing the play, the story behind Shakespeare's words and who you're portraying... Now if you would all get into three lines, we can begin!"

Feels shuffled while the group raised themselves to their feet. They moved to position by Kurenai's orders.

Romeo and the Montague's were to stand on the left, while Juliet and the Capulet's stood facing them, on the right. The other, impartial characters stood in one row between them, so that the three lines formed an incomplete square, looking inwards to where Kurenai waited in the centre.

Sakura stood at the head of the Juliet line, directly across from Sasuke. He stood rigidly at the front of his own line, his muscles bunched from the tension he had placed in them. Their eyes locked together once more, and Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her.

Sakura's irritation grew slightly at the action. His eyes looked at her as if he was unimpressed at her presence. It was as if he was silently questioning her ability to be Juliet.

Her brows furrowed and she shot him a distrustful look. It annoyed her that he was silently judging her talent when he had not even seen her act. This was one of the things Sakura truly felt passionate about. Having that questioned was vexing - even more so when it was by Sasuke.

The pinkette huffed slightly while her hands curled into loose fists. Once again, she couldn't help but visibly show her contempt towards him.

He had caught the action, and his response grew to only fuel Sakura's climbing displeasure. The midnight colour of his eyes deepened with smugness, mocking her silently when he winked at her from across the room.

Sakura's cheeks began to flush with anger. Her pale green eyes sharpened with the force of the glare she threw back at him, but Sasuke's smirk only grew in return. It infuriated her that even without speaking, he managed to coax a reaction.

'Ignore him, he's not worth it' Sakura reminded herself begrudgingly.

At the back of her mind, an anxious thought tickled. There was no way for her to ignore him completely. Being the two leads, they were to be familiar with one another, almost as familiar as they were with their own character's. The thought made Sakura uncomfortable, because it meant that there would be far more situations near the prickly male..

The two teens broke contact as Kurenai began to speak once again.

"I want you to face the person opposite of you. For those on the supporting line-" Kurenai gestured to the odd line out, "-face the person on your right. Introduce yourself to one another, first as yourselves then as your character."

With her instructions finished, the older woman nodded happily before turning to speak to her co-producer. Nervous glances were exchanged by a few of the cast members before people started moving to converse with their partner.

With her feet still stuck firmly to where she was standing, Sakura's green eyes flickered over to peek at Sasuke - her partner. She fought to suppress a grimace at his equally uncomfortable look. Neither of them clearly wanted to do this exercise.

There was an awkward silence for a moment as the people surrounding them began to move about, already beginning the ice breaker. A few curious glances were directed at the two leading members before Sakura swallowed the hard lump of her pride. There was no way she could act with him if neither of them were willing to take the first step.

It seemed as if Sasuke, too, had come to his own acceptance - although his sour expression suggested he would not be as courteous as she. They both moved stiffly to face one another, keeping a wary distance before locking eyes.

Sakura could see her own stiff facial expression in the glossy black of his eyes. Stale air rushed into her lungs as she inhaled deeply and Sakura forced her muscles to unclench before speaking.

"Uchi-"

"Save it, Haruno. We already know each other."

A muscle jumped in Sakura's eyebrow. His abrupt interruption irritated her - especially since she had brought herself to initiate some form of peace for the sake of Kurenai's exercise.

He remained like a stone statue in front of her, arms crossed across his chest while his weight balanced on his left foot in a bored stance. His face was a stern, unfriendly one. He had no intention of playing nice.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," she couldn't keep the sarcasm from leaking into her words, "but there's no reason for you to be such an ass about it."

The solid line of Sasuke's jaw flexed at her barb.

"Perhaps I just don't have the patience to play dumb with you."

The insult was like a backhand.

Imaginary hackles rose and Sakura's nostrils flared slightly with chagrin. As always, his cocky and condescending attitude was beginning to challenge her ability to control her temper.

At her cracking control, Sasuke's frown slipped into a sly smirk. He looked as cunning as the devil himself.

"Trust me, it's no walk in the park talking to you either." The pinkette hissed all but menacingly.

Amused mockery continued to radiate from the male, "As compared to you? Hn, I'd much rather crawl in a trench filled with broken glass."

Outrage made Sakura's hands curl into tight fists. The green of her eyes flashed with her ire, narrowing into thin slits like a cat. Her lips were shut tight to prevent herself from the temptation of snarling at him.

He was really insulting her when he was the one who was well known to being a complete ice cube socially? The amount of rudeness he possessed made Sakura question how it was possible that Sasuke even had friends. Especially one as jolly and positive as Naruto. Clearly the blonde had yet to notice his best friend was a complete prick.

She was about to snitch him with words her parents would be ashamed to hear her say when they were interrupted by a loud cough.

Both turned to see Kurenai before them, hands on hips with a dissatisfied expression on her face. Her hip was cocked to one side as her sharp expression flicked to and fro each of their faces.

Around them, the conversation had quickly simmered to a hushed murmur. It seemed that majority of the cast had decided to halt their own conversations to witness what could turn out to be an eventful exchange.

The red of Kurenai's lips pressed together in a bold line before the brunette sighed.

"I had hoped I would not have to do this but, I'm well aware of the state of your..." Kurenai paused, seeming to consider her words before continuing, "...relationship. Still, I chose to cast both of you because you were the best of those who auditioned."

Pride at being complimented bloomed in Sakura's chest, equally as strong as the shock and disbelief at the thought of the same implications on Sasuke's acting ability.

Kurenai turned to pace, speaking all the while.

"I know separately you are dedicated, motivated and mature-"

Sasuke snorted quietly under his breath and Sakura shot a piercing glare at him in return.

"-However, together you seem to become distracted and childish; volleying insults back and forth and giving each other looks that could kill." The slim heel of Kurenai's pumps bore on the wood flooring as she twisted around again to direct both of them with a pressing look.

"I'm willing to take the risk on you working together, but I am warning you now." The older female's feminine lilt hardened sternly. The change in her intonation made both Sasuke and Sakura stiffen with attention.

"If either of you ever brings your personal issues with each other into this play... You. Are. Out. Am I making myself clear?"

Red-brown eyes remained steady and strong, pressuring the two younger teens that stood before it. Sakura was by no means weak-willed, but the resonating threat that echoed in her superior's words almost made her wilt internally.

There was close to nothing harder than acting peacefully with Sasuke. They had known each other for nearly 10 years, but were no closer to acting friendly since they first met.

From the steely expression and rigid tension that exuded from Sasuke's own taller frame, he clearly did not feel any less apprehensive as she.

Neither of them said anything. Their observers exchanged looks at the uneasy atmosphere.

Slowly, Sasuke's muscular form relaxed just the slightest. He gave Kurenai a small, stressed nod - one that was hardly noticeable. Sakura followed in suite with her own haste nod.

The unspoken question on how the next few weeks would go hung in the air.

Seemingly satisfied that she had gotten to her point, Kurenai's stern aura vanished along with her pressing stare. She flashed both of them a small smile before she turned around to stride back to the centre of the stage, instructing the rest of the occupants in the room back to their original lines.

The petite Haruno moved back to her place. Her joints felt like rusty old hinges, stiff when she walked. Back at the helm of her line, Sakura purposefully avoided looking at the Uchiha across from her. She could feel his own edgy stance at the edge of her peripheral.

Her attention snagged on Sai's slender form a little ways down the line. His eyes were concerned and a little curious, silently asking her of her condition.

She gave him a small shake of her head to assure him. Pink locks fluttered around her at the movement.

'Now is not the time'

Sakura planned to continue the rest of the first rehearsal purely focused on Kurenai's instructions. She looked back to the drama director just as she began speaking once more.

"'Romeo and Juliet' is the original love story. Everybody has heard of it; everybody knows what happens and everybody knows why." The female director's hips swayed with her strides as she moved up and down the aisle, meeting each of the eyes that watched her. "It's the power of the love between two star-crossed lovers, destined to face heartbreaking-"

She stopped by the end of Sasuke's line, looking meaningfully into his dark eyes.

"-devastating-"

Kurenai broke her eyes away and moved around his lean form to walk back down the line behind the row of actors.

"-consuming-"

Red eyes caught green ones from over the heads of the surrounding students, reflecting the depth of her words.

"-life changing-"

Her heels made sharp raps on the ground, stopping when she reached Sakura. Her heels made her slightly taller than the younger girl, forcing Sakura to tilt her head up in order to avoid breaking eye contact.

"-everlasting-"

Moving slightly behind the pinkette, Kurenai pushed a hand against the small of Sakura's back, forcing her to stumble forward. The shove caught Sakura off guard. She nearly tripped over her own shoelaces before she managed to steady herself. She straightened slowly, her eyes blinked in surprise when she realised that the distance she had covered during her stumble brought her only an arm's length away from Sasuke.

His usually dark and cold eyes looked back at her's in a unsuspecting look. They were slightly wider than normal, having been caught off-guard at her own proximity. Through her own dazed state, the rosette subconsciously registered the distinct smell of Sasuke - crisp like rain after a lightning storm. She couldn't help but think it was intoxicating.

"-passionate love."

The sound of Kurenai's voice jerked Sakura back out from her stupor. As quickly as she came, Sakura wrenched herself backwards. As she back-pedalled with long strides to distance herself from Sasuke, her cheeks tingled with blood.

Her green eyes moved quickly to glance at Kurenai. The elder female was watching her with an almost amused look. There was something in her gaze that Sakura did not like one bit.

Teeth clamped tightly, Sakura's back stiffened into a tall, straight line. She raised herself to her full height once more, looking blankly back at the English Literature professor's knowing eyes. A pretty blush continued to colour the apples of her cheeks, which caused Sakura to silently curse at her flush. She kept her gaze forward, resisting the urge to glance back at Sasuke.

Kurenai broke eye contact first. She flipped her black mane of hair out of her face as she moved to the front of the group.

"They are supposed to be enemies, separated by the feud of their families. However, what is the fine line between love and hate? One can unknowingly cross the line, tip the scale and suddenly" –she added a short pause for effect- "fall uncontrollably in love."

Without meaning to, Sakura's own eyes wandered until they locked with Sasuke's. The magnetic connection between their gazes shocked her. She had not even noticed that her attention has shifted until it was firmly connected with his own unreadable stare. Something in the way he stared at her made Sakura's stomach tighten nervously. Her pink lips turned down in the corners and she fought the urge to fidget. The charged atmosphere that floated around them was enough to cause her skin to tingle.

What was it about Kurenai's words that felt so dangerous?

Sasuke didn't seem to be faring any better than her. His cream skin was far paler than average. The muscles in his shoulders were set rigidly and the line of his mouth was slashed in an uneasy line.

When Sakura began to feel her flushed cheeks deepen in colour, she tore her eyes away from him. It baffled her, how vulnerable she felt today, what with all the intense eye contact she had been experiencing for the past hour.

"So how well does everyone know their characters? Sakura – why don't you tell us about Juliet?"

At the mention of her name, Sakura blinked before her posture relaxed slightly. The odd moment was gone and Kurenai's request reminded Sakura of her purpose. Whatever discomfort she felt from the previous hour, it was gone now. This was her moment to showcase her talent, to display her vast knowledge on her character.

All eyes were settled on the Haruno, but unlike the attention she received from Sasuke earlier on, she did not feel out of place by the ones she received from her fellow cast mates. Instead, she felt surprisingly calm, having regained her composure. Her thoughts immediately went to what she knew of Juliet, and all the reasons why she was one of the most renowned female characters in the theatrical community.

"Juliet is Capulet's daughter and is presented to the audience as an innocent, naive girl - something which Shakespeare repeatedly stresses on in order to develop her coming of age as a tragic heroine." Impassioned by her admiration for the deep, fictional character, Sakura imaged Juliet in her mind. She thought of her words, how the emotions of the heart stricken lover felt when she had read the words spoken by the Capulet.

"She loves Romeo with the full force of her heart, enough to face death twice." At the mention of Romeo, Sakura's train of thought was brought to Sasuke, momentarily. She was thrown off course for half a second and furiously shoved the association from her mind immediately.

The rosette cleared her throat before continuing, "He is all she sees, which is why, when she discovers him dead by the foot of her tomb, she kills herself - so she could be with him - forever in death."

With her explanation complete, Sakura released her breath. The back of her neck tickled with embarrassment from having nearly stumbled in her explanation after her treacherous mind conjured up the image of Sasuke as Romeo - locked in a love-filled embrace with her.

Her dislike for him reared its head and the imaginary picture turned into one of disgust instead of embarrassment. There was nothing attractive about Uchiha Sasuke. Not to Sakura, not ever. He was still the same cold-hearted, smug, cocky bastard that she detested all her life.

"Excellently put, Sakura!" Kurenai turned, "Sasuke – would you like to tell us about Romeo?"

Sakura covered her reflexive laugh of derision into a choked cough. Her palm was raised to cover her mouth while the girl bit on the inside of her cheek to stifle the twitching of her lips.

A heated gaze bore into the side of her face. Clearly Sasuke had noticed her small slip-up. It wasn't her fault that the thought of him knowing anything about a character as emotive as Romeo made Sakura want to double over with laughter. This was the younger Uchiha brother, after all. He was as unfeeling and cruel as they came.

Sakura lowered her hand and tilted her head to face his glare head on. His patronizing glower caused her own evergreen eyes to harden with dislike. While the rest of the people in the room would not have looked into their visual communication as anything but a moment of heated glares, Sakura could hear the silent message behind it.

He was not impressed with her, and now he was silently declaring that he would prove he knew more about Romeo than she knew about Juliet.

As always, they were in competition together. They were rivals. Enemies. Sakura would not let herself forget that again.

"Romeo is Montague's son, worshipped by all of Verona. First represented as a traditional lover with Rosaline, then unveiled to be intense and passionate one with Juliet, he is a character who's driven by pride and honor. His true persona drives his actions, but when he kills Tybalt to avenge Mercuito's death; he starts off a chain of events that eventually lead to his suicide, after wholeheartedly believing that his precious Juliet is dead - something that displays his utter devotion to his love."

The low timbre of Sasuke's voice echoed throughout the vast space. His words were confident and self-assured. They spoke with the rawness of Romeo's character - no half-truths hidden behind personal opinions. It was such a Sasuke-thing to do, to be so blunt with his words.

More than anything, Sakura was beyond surprised. While she knew he was smart enough to know about Romeo, and obviously since he landed the role, he must have been well-versed in the character, it stunned her to have him lay out what he knew about Romeo in such a concise manner. It was difficult to sum up who Romeo was when Shakespeare's intricate writing had purposefully made the hero seem multi-faceted, but the fact that Sasuke could wrap it all up without mentioning every character-centric moment from the play was a testament to the extent of his knowledge.

She had underestimated him.

From where he stood, watching her reel with bafflement, he must have thought so too. The familiar look of smug triumph radiated from his half-lidded eyes as he silently mocked her.

In the background, Sakura faintly heard Kurenai compliment the Uchiha on his statement before instructing the next person to continue forth with their own explanation.

Dissatisfaction at having been bested by Sasuke caused Sakura to prickle with frustration. The way his eyes looked at her now was proof that he had not done it to prove himself to Kurenai, but to her - that he thought he was better versed than her - even in acting.

Sasuke's long legs brought him to her in only a few steps. He looked over her small frame, his scent assaulting her senses. Unlike earlier, when she had been stunned by the alluring scent, it only caused her discomfort now. She did not appreciate being so close to Sasuke.

He reveled in her obvious perturbation, leaning in so close that his mouth hovered over the shell of her ear. His long bangs barely grazed the skin of her shoulder, but the sensation still sent a shiver of goose pimples breaking out across the back of her neck. His breath was warm and husky, thick with his teasing taunt.

"Give it up, Juliet. You will never win."

Her unwillingness to bend to him strengthened Sakura's resolve. Unlike all of their academic tests, physical showdowns or verbal arguments, Sasuke would not beat her this time around. Acting was something Sakura knew she could do very well. They might be acting as lovers on stage from now on, but Sakura had no doubt in her mind that both of them would silently be treating it as another competition of their skills - to see who could be the better actor.

Pretend lovers or not, she had not intention of losing this battle.

Silently, they declared war.

End Note:

Side Notes:

[1] Daijōbu: "Are you ok?"

Updated 2016 Note:

My struggle with this chapter was trying to slip in the love between Sasuke and Sakura - who still hate each other.
It really is a challenge to display subtle signs of romance when the dislike has to come first, but I want the romance to built gradually, instead of it happening instantly.
Love-Hate relationships are hard, ya'll.