MisoHime

Author's Note:

Original Note:

Hi guys. My vacation is almost over and I still have a very long report to write about "The Great Gatsby".
It really does suck to have to go back to school so soon, doesn't it?
A special mention to Temari, whose birthday is today.

For my reviewers:

- Angelic101: Thank you as always, for your continued support. You show more love for this story than it deserves, and I'm glad you enjoy what I write.

- river of the sand: Thanks for giving this story a chance, I appreciate it. I apologise if it isn't the best, but I'm relieved you don't find the premise of it too recycled. Do continue to leave me reviews on what you think - it would help me improve.

- xox Unleashed Butterfly xox: Your kind words moved me. Thanks for giving this story a chance and leaving me a review. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

- .space: Thank you for reading & reviewing! I hope this chapter makes the wait worthwhile.

Updated 2016 Note:

This chapter was read and reviewed on: 3rd June 2016.

Do you guys know how long this chapter ended up after I rewrote it? Even I didn't expect the number:
9,000 words.
Seriously. It amounts up to nearly 10k before I add Author's Notes, Disclaimers and End Notes.
That's a lot more than I was expecting!

In other news: I apologise for anyone who's waiting for me to upload Chapter 17.
I'm in the middle of a very tense time for university right now. I will get to it soon.

Also, if you're a new reader: Welcome! I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
If you're an old reader or a re-reader: Enjoy and thank you as always!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and the inspired book for this story isn't mine either.

◊▫ 星の十字 ▫◊

Hoshina no Kurosu

Nana

友達

Tomodachi

Months ago, if Haruno Sakura had been asked on her opinion, she would have said that nobody should have to be subjected to eating the disgusting food that was made available on her school's cafeteria menu. It wasn't that it was terrible, per say. It was just that the luncheons were not made with any true concern for the nutrition or health of the student body.

To be fair, most people would have complained that it was still a blessing to be able to have access to food of any sort when there were children starving on the other side of the world, but they obviously had not had the chance to try the types of plastic, processed rubbish that Sakura felt were being sold at ridiculously unreasonable prices in her canteen.

The meat loaf special was more meat brick than loaf. The bento box was really just recycled rice with a stingy piece of fish and umeboshi on the side, and the onigiris were about as tasty as bland paste. It didn't help that the other choices were even less favourable - ranging from soggy, oily tempura to near-expired packaged hamburgers.

Which was half of the reason why majority of the school had resorted to eating their meals off campus.

Hell, even Naruto had chosen to take the extra effort to walk to Ichiraku - the blonde's favourite Ramen stand located halfway across town - than to settle for the cup-noodles they sold here for double the price.

With the declining popularity of their campus foods, business was a quick landslide - a state of which the campus management could not tolerate.

When their principal, Tsunade-sama, had realised the state of the F&B department, she had declared a complete reset. Everything, from the cafeteria itself to the caterers underwent a mass renovation. Gone were the crappy, expensive foods and the old, sticky seats. The dilapidated state of their campus canteen was completely remodeled, making it unavailable to students for nearly a month before it reopened.

So far, it had been worth the wait.

Much to the joy of many of the students, the newly minted canteen was not a disappointment. The new patrons that sold food did not attempt to pass off sub-par salmon for a premium quality fish and the grilled steaks sold by the American vendors were actually cooked through. The old, greasy tiles of the mess hall was now a shiny, sleek white, with re-painted walls that covered over the questionable stains that Sakura suspected came from a food fight years ago. The range of meals also expanded. Different caterers had sections lined up one after another, providing a wide variety of food; from fast food to a traditional Japanese meal. The prices, while some were still above average, were all reasonable for the quality that was being served.

Even the uncomfortable tables and chairs had been swapped for trendy, modern furniture that wasn't coated with the lingering scent of eye-burning detergent.

It had only been a few weeks since they reopened, but the response from the student body was a positive one. Some of the students who did not have as long of a lunch break no longer needed to skip lunch, and those whom were too lazy to make the trip across town without adequate transport could now eat to their heart's content right on campus.

No longer were half of the school population spending their breaks outside.

So when Sakura entered the cafeteria one afternoon during peak hours, she wasn't surprised to find herself in the middle of a busy, crowded mess hall.

The large wall-height window doors on one half of the room had been left open, leading to the open courtyard where even more students were sitting - either on the lunch tables or on picnic blankets under the trees. The lines for the food stalls were all long and unending. Even the spaces in between the tables were occupied.

Being short herself, Sakura wasn't able to get a clear view of Sai or the rest of her friend's immediately. The heavy double doors behind her swung shut, but the sound was lost over the constant buzz of multiple conversations.

She swept her wind-tangled hair out of her eyes and shifted her gaze over the room again, hoping to pick out Ino's pale blonde hair or Sai's pale skin.

She caught sight of her friends on one of the tables by the area near the floor-to-ceiling bay. Sai and Ino were seated with the rest of their mutual friends, completely absorbed in light conversation.

Sakura made her way over, weaving through the crowds of people, careful not to jostle anyone who was carrying a tray. She thought about pausing briefly to get herself some food along the way, but the long lines that had yet to reduce made her re-consider.

Halfway there, Sakura felt a few eyes on her and fought the feeling of apprehension that crawled over her skin at the attention. She was used to being stared at her whole life. Having unusual pink hair did that to a girl, but somehow it didn't seem as if people were looking at her for her strange hair colour.

She glanced over her shoulder and the eyes which had been looking averted immediately. A few went back to conversing, but some where still shooting her glances before leaning over to their friends and whispering about what Sakura didn't doubt was a comment about her.

'Shannaro! Don't they have anything else to talk about?' She huffed silently.

This has been the fourth or fifth time this week alone. It seemed as if everywhere she went for the past few days had people watching her when she walked past. It wasn't as if they were staring at her with curiosity, but they were looking at her with a mixture of fear and speculation. Whatever gossip was floating around at the moment, it was most definitely about her. It had only been strange at first, but now it was also incredibly frustrating.

The various sets of eyes around her table of friends all glanced up to look at her when she approached, and unlike the suspicious looks from the rest of the cafeteria, the looks were all of a friendly nature.

Sai greeted her with his infamous "fake smile" before patting the seat next to him and Sakura released a tired sigh as she plopped herself down, reaching over to steal one of Sai's mochis before looking anxiously around the now quiet group of friends surrounding her.

Neither Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru or Ino said anything. Despite the loud echoes of conversation all around them, nobody bothered to speak for a brief moment, leaving an awkward moment of silence hovering in the air.

Save for Shikamaru, who had always been somewhat quiet and reserved, Ino and Tenten's silence began to grate on Sakura's nerves. Her blonde-haired, blue eyed, female friend had always been the most talkative person she knew. Her lack of constant chatter was an unusual sight Sakura wasn't used to.

She swallowed the rest of the sticky rice cake in a harsh gulp, her throat bobbing uncomfortably from the texture.

"Okay. What gives? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

A few eyes blinked before Tenten offered Sakura a wry smile, her tone friendly.

"Sorry, Sakura. We didn't mean to stare. Just thought you would say something about... y'know."

"No. I don't know," Sakura directed a confused look at Sai, whose blank expression was of no help, "what don't I know?"

Ino, who had been busily playing with her takoyaki, left the round dough balls alone to speak up. It seemed that her gossip-hunting friend had found it within herself to give up the pretense of innocence to grill the pink-haired girl instead.

"Come on, Forehead! Give it up! There's no way you've been spared from what's going on!"

Sakura's brow furrowed at Ino's interrogation, "As a matter of fact, I have. Would you just tell me already?"

"There are rumours, Ugly."

Green eyes moved to meet Sai's. He was as impassive as always, but a tinge of amusement underlined his lips. Clearly he knew what everyone was talking about. Shikamaru, whom had been lazily daydreaming until now, leaned back slightly in his chair, sighing.

"Don't be so troublesome... just tell her already."

"Oh shut up, Shika!" Ino snapped, her voice rising into an irritated octave, "You didn't care at all when we were talking about things earlier."

Tenten ignored the two bickering friends and leaned closer to Sakura, one hand pointing at her while she spoke in a more hushed tone.

"Seems like you and Sasuke-san have been the talk of the town... again."

The athletic girl leaned back in her seat and poked her fork into one of the wieners in her carbonara while Sakura stared blankly at her. It took her a while to comprehend the words before a frown wrinkled her lips.

"Why is that something worth gossiping about? There are always rumours of Uchiha and I."

"Perhaps they are of a more... romantic nature, this time round, Hag."

Sakura whipped one of the crumbs on the table towards Sai's face, her back straightening with indignation. From across the table, Tenten released a laugh, drawing Sakura's attention back to the girl - shock and outrage plastered on her face.

"You're not serious, are you?!"

The brunette merely chuckled some more, waving her utensil in the air, "No, no, of course not."

Sakura's frown deepened to a scowl as she smacked Sai upside the head with her hand. The pale boy dodged her blow, a calm smile plastered on his face. His eyes creased slightly with humour. Sakura was about to shoot him with a nasty word when a loud sound silenced all of them and drew a few stares from random bypassers.

Shikamaru's chair was tumbled over on the ground, with a very weary-looking Shikamaru sprawled next to it. A smug looking Ino looked down on him.

"Hmph, maybe next time you'll think twice before calling me 'troublesome'"

The other boy merely sighed, his movements slow and unhurried as he straightened from his position on the ground. He shook his head slightly at the blonde's antics, face crumpling while he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mendouksai ne..."

Tenten straightened the chair before asking if he was alright, to which he merely shrugged before sitting back down, purposefully scooting a little more to the far side of Ino's vicinity. The blonde looked like she was about to hit him again out of irritation, but Sakura drew her attention away with her impatience.

"Then what is it? What rumours are circling to have everyone staring at me like a circus freak for the past few days?" She asked.

Sakura's question pulled the blonde's attention away from Shikamaru, allowing the male to relax. Ino's cerulean eyes glittered with her knowledge, something Sakura wasn't surprised with, seeing as the blonde was the collector of all juicy gossips on campus.

"There are words that you and Sasuke-kun got into this big fight in one of the Art studios recently and that you tried to kill him by toppling one of those shelves."

Shock rendered Sakura motionless.

She had never heard such an outrageous piece of gossip about her before, and there had been plenty over their years. There had been words about their bickering, even a few brawls here and there, but this was an insinuation of cold-blooded homicide. Which - while she certainly felt angry enough to commit on some days - Sakura would have never been able to actually do. She wasn't that hard-hearted.

Ino didn't seem to notice Sakura's stunned silence, instead leaning back casually into her chair and examining her flawless manicure.

"I have to say, Forehead, I'm surprised you had it in you. And why would you want to kill Sasuke-kun?" She flicked a piece of dirt from under her nail bed, "I mean, he can be rude and mean, but he's so dreamy... And he's-"

"That rumour is completely untrue!" Sakura abruptly interrupted.

Her raised voice had a few people around her starting to talk. Those whom had heard her words were off to inform the rest of their friends, no doubt causing speculation to rise once more.

Sakura shot a quick glare at the curious eyes before she swiveled back around to look at her best friend.

Sai was busy stuffing his face with tofu noodles, not even flinching at her look.

"You knew what happened, Sai, why didn't you say anything?"

The male took his sweet time chewing on his food, not bothering to speed up when steam began to blow from Sakura's ears.

"I thought it was funny."

Sakura's right eye twitched with irritation, but Ino butted into the conversation before she could reply, her blue eyes wide with her thirst for more gossip.

"So you didn't try to kill him?"

"Of course not!"

Tenten laughed out loud while Shikamaru sighed once again. Ino looked almost disappointed at the fact that the most interesting rumour that had been flying around was actually untrue.

Sakura's brows furrowed and her cheeks flushed uncomfortably, "This is ridiculous." She huffed.

Ino leaned her elbows onto the table and flipped a golden ponytail over her shoulder, smacking the locks right into Shikamaru's face.

"Well, you can't blame us, Sakura. Somebody said you and Sasuke were both seen around the Art Block recently and apparently there was quite a mess left behind."

The Haruno sighed, her hand reached up to rub her forehead. "Yeah, well. As much as I hate the guy, I didn't try to kill him."

Tenten pushed away her tray of half-eaten fettuccine and joined Ino in her questioning.

"What about what you wrote last week?"

"What do you mean?"

The two girls shared a look.

"You know, those words you wrote next to Sasuke's name on the cast list that was posted? Everyone knows it was you."

Sakura's mind went through the events of the past week before she released a heavy groan. She buried her face into her hands as her cheeks heated up even more.

They were talking about the angry message she had scrawled. Clearly the words "Romeo must die..." must have done nothing but back up the crazy speculation of her attempt to murder Uchiha Sasuke with a shelf. She had no idea how she could have overlooked her actions. It almost made sense that everyone would assume she had attempted murder on the younger Uchiha brother.

"That! That was so not meant to be taken literally!" Sakura defended, mortified.

Half curious and half amused, Ino continued to attempt to pester Sakura for clarification.

"So... what exactly did happen, then?"

Memories of an angry artist, spinning rooms and black, endless eyes assaulted Sakura's mind immediately. She felt her cheeks warm from the memory of Sasuke's muscled form on hers, pinning her small body safely.

The appearance of the blush made the eyes around her widen before a Cheshire Cat grin appeared on Ino's face.

"You're blushing, Forehead! What happened?"

Sakura jerked from her seat, neither answering nor meeting their eyes before moving quickly out of the lunch room. Her ears felt hot and embarrassment made her movements jerky.

When she stumbled out of the double doors of the lunch room, Sakura robotically moved to lean against the nearest wall. The hallway was empty, save for her, and the sound of conversation continued to buzz from behind the large twin doors behind her.

Sakura's consciousness flashed with an image of a strong jawline and spiky, dark hair again before she shook her head violently to clear the image. She had been purposefully avoiding thinking about the incident for the past week.

She scolded herself mentally, conjuring up the memories of their previous rehearsal, whereby she had been reminded that Sasuke held no warmth for her. Whatever his reasons were for saving her that day, it was probably just a reflex. He had made it clear during their first rehearsal that it was a fluke. They were still enemies, and nothing had changed that.

Her flushed skin made the wall she leaned her forehead against feel cold. She took advantage of the sensation in order to calm herself down.

"You know, this might cause them to talk even more."

The sound of Sai's voice loosened Sakura's tense muscles. She breathed in heavily and pushed away from the wall.

"Why is it always me that they talk about?" she questioned, "It's pissing me off! Sakura this, Sakura that - It's him too, you know! He's absolutely insufferable, and he constantly does things just to make me look like a fucking psycho!" Her voice rose with her climbing anger.

Sai remained quiet, leaning against the opposite wall and waiting for her to release her pent-up frustration.

"And what's worse is that these people believe him!"

"..."

"What?" She snapped, "I know you have something to say, Sai."

Her friend merely pushed himself upright from his position by the wall. He shook his head, not meeting the pinkette's eyes.

"Perhaps Uchiha did provoke you, but you should not have let him get to you anyway."

Sakura ran her tongue over the back of her teeth, her hands twitching with irritation. The truth of Sai's words were not something she could argue with, because as much as Sasuke did provoke her, Sakura herself knew she would have taken any jab he threw as an excuse to bite back.

Her mother had said the exact same thing to her father every time Uchiha Fugaku was mentioned - that if Sakura's father was the better man, he would not let Fugaku's insults and belittlements get to him. Was Sakura proving her mother's words right? Should she have practiced more self-control?

She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from Sai, her feet moving to walk down the hallway and away from the doors of the canteen. She wasn't about to give whomever was pressing their ears up against the doors an inside look into her and Sai's conversation.

"Fine. Maybe I let him get to me, but it's only because he's such a goddamn-"

"Ugly-"

"-infuriating-"

"Sakura!"

"mother-oomph!"

A hard, solid surface slammed right into Sakura, causing the sudden force to send her stumbling a few steps back and into Sai. Pain lanced across her face, bringing stinging tears into her eyes.

"You!"

Sakura blinked rapidly against her watery eyes to meet the sight of blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. Or more like one eye.

Deidara.

Fear clogged her throat and caused her muscles to stiffen. Her eyes remained unmoving, wide and frightened, as Sakura stared back at the furious blue that bore into hers. She was less than an arm's length away from the blonde, who's taller height managed to allow him to tower over her petite frame.

'Oh fuck…'

Sai's fingers around her shoulders tightened their grip, but the reassurance went unnoticed by Sakura. It was only when he all but yanked her behind him that she shook herself out of her stupor.

"Hello, Deidara-senpai. I apologise on behalf of my friend, but we really must be going." Sai diplomatically stated.

Deidara's blue eye blinked and his attention flickered from momentary confusion before settling on mocking disgust as he observed the pale boy.

"You're that gay painter from the year below!"

The spiteful and disgusted tone in Deidara's voice had Sakura's vision turning red. With her fists clenched, the pinkette reached to step around Sai, meeting Deidara's figure toe to toe.

"You wanna repeat that, you asshat?" Sakura hissed.

She stood so close to the older male that she could smell the acrid burn of gun powder and clay on him. Sakura couldn't tell if it was his cologne, or if it really was because he was a crazy pyromaniac, but the undertone of explosives that lingered faintly caused her senses to tingle unpleasantly. The fear of facing Deidara after their last encounter was quickly fading into some distant memory. She was not about to let him push Sai around just because he felt like he could.

Blue eyes sharped onto her's, "The bitch and the fag, sticking up for one another. How sweet, yeah?" Deidara's words dripped with potent sarcasm. Long blonde hair tickled the skin of her cheek when he leaned down to glare at Sakura.

Behind her, she felt Sai's tense figure twitch. Her friend didn't seem at all bothered when he was insulted, but he clearly was not comfortable with Deidara's unsaid threat towards Sakura floating in the air. His grip on her arm was warm and urging, trying to have her step away from the older male.

Sakura ignored the action and bit back her reply in an equally unfriendly tone, "Fuck off, I've had enough of your insults." Her frustration from her earlier situation did nothing but add to her rage. She had enough things to deal with, a cocky, rude senior who didn't think before he spoke did nothing but elevate her anger.

Familiar outrage clouded Deidara's eyes. His glare was near murderous and it seemed as if he was trembling from restraint.

Just as the blonde moved to grab a fistful of Sakura's shirt, Sai jerked the smaller girl behind and stepped forward, catching himself in Deidara's grip. Sakura stumbled back, somewhat shocked from the sudden movement, as she stared at Sai - raised to his toes, with his dark shirt fisted in the blonde's hard-knuckled grip.

Sai remained impassive, looking flatly into Deidara's furious blue orbs.

"Perhaps you don't know how to shut you mouth, un. I'll just have to teach you a lesson with your fag here."

The hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stood up. Both from fear for Sai and anger for Deidara. Her heartbeat pounded with the need to do something, but she was halted in her interception when Sai spoke up.

"I'd much rather you release me," a phoney smile quirked at his lips, "I may be gay, but even I'm not interested in you, senpai."

The implication hung in the air for a second of silence.

And then the meaning of Sai's words sunk in.

Laughter and hysteria fought to bubble up from between her lips and Sakura forced herself to choke it down. Her insides tickled from her mirth and another wave of giggles threatened to burst forth, causing her lungs to spasm.

Deidara's tan complexion slowly turned red. Though he did not move to release nor hit Sai, the male had definitely registered the implications of Sai's words. His fist was still locked around Sai's shirt, but the muscles around the blonde's shoulders seemed far more strained than before.

Unable to hold her laughter, giggles slipped past Sakura's lips, quickly turning into a cough as she pressed her hand against her mouth.

The senior's grip on Sai's shirt tightened even further. White bone stood out starkly against his skin when the tension in his hand increased. The one blue eye burned with unrestrained anger.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Deidara snarled. The rage in his words immediately silenced both the juniors. Barely controlled anger caused Deidara to tremble while his eyes pierced like lasers. Sakura even thought the veins in his temples were about to burst. Every muscle was locked taut.

The blonde artist raised Sai higher, the fabric of Sai's shirt straining dangerously as he was lifted to the point where his toes merely grazed the tiles.

Sakura felt her apprehension and fear return. Though she had been angry at the blonde before, it did not serve either of them well to provoke him further. If they were smart, they would merely defuse the situation as calmly as possible and leave before things got worse. With her concern for Sai's well being in mind, Sakura stepped forward in attempts to save him from his fate.

She had only taken a step when her fear tripled at the sight of Deidara's other hand. With one hand clenched around Sai and another raised behind him, Deidara's fist was aimed in a position to punch. The mad fury that danced in the blue of his eyes quickly turning into a wild fire. His temper now had free reign, clouding his judgement for proper school conduct.

He was going to hurt Sai.

Regret was a bitter pill that lodged uncomfortably in Sakurs's throat. Her body moved to save her friend as her mind berated herself with a concoction of fear and lament. Had she not been such a careless and hot tempered brat, she never would have gotten Sai swept up into her troubles.

He had been kind enough to rescue her from Deidara's wrath, only to have to take the beating himself.

But she wasn't going to let that happen.

There was a slight moment in time, in between watching the motion of Deidara's fist move and Sai's own frozen form, when Sakura thought back towards the same incident that she faced with Sai when they were younger.

Back then, young Sakura had been far more wimpy, less confident and shy to the bone. She had always been the butt of the other's kid's jokes. Having unusual hair and a large forehead caused the bandwagon of snotty toddlers to bully her for the fun of it. Sai had always been the one to pull her out of her self-pity and depression, helping her bandage her scraped knees and drying her tears. He held her hand on their way home and taught her ways to fight back. Sai had always been a key support system to helping her find her way.

So the last thing she was going to do was let him take the punches for her. She had a debt to settle with the blonde artist, and for insulting her best friend, he had just woken the beast.

Sakura reached out with one hand to grip at the wrist that was raised to hold Sai. Her fingers digging painfully into the limb, nails piercing with the strength of her grip. Her body twisted with muscle memory, maneuvering into the spot between Deidara and Sai to stand position between the two males. Sakura was comparatively too short; she would have never been able to stop the punch that was coming.

But then again, that wasn't what she stepped in to do.

With one mighty swing, the Haruno reared her right leg back and kneed the tall blonde right in his groin.

The effect was immediate.

Sai was dropped, having been released from Deidara's unrelinquishing grip. The material of his shirt was wrinkled heavily from where the senior had gripped.

The blonde crumpled to the ground slowly, the sound escaping him reminded Sakura of a wounded animal. In replacement of the anger that radiated from him now stood pain and agony. Sakura could guess that, even though she was not a man, she had just inflicted a type of pain that must have sent his stomach clenching, gut wrenching and tears gathering.

The crippled form on the floor moaned again, releasing a high pitch whine that she thought was meant to be a garbled message. Sakura didn't wait for the blonde artist to recover. Grabbing Sai by the hand, Sakura took off down the hallway. She wasn't going to wait around for the senior to recover and face his anger - Sakura knew she would not be so lucky as to hit him twice.

Her feet pounded on the tiles of the hallway floor, beating in rhythm to her heart. She tore down the empty hallways, not bothering to slow down. Behind her, she could hear Sai's breathing become laboured like hers.

Her vision remained tunnelled on each exit point they passed through, and Sakura only slowed to a stop when they managed to reach the open air. The outdoors were chilly against her slightly damp skin. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen as she released her hold on Sai's arm and bent over with her hands braced on her knees to suck in healthy inhales of the fresh air. Adrenaline continued to run through her veins, causing her her thighs to tingle.

The wind blew a few stray leaves around their feet, rippling the fabric of Sakura's jeans where they were loose around her ankles.

Taking a moment to close her eyes and relax her shoulders, Sakura inhaled deeply once more, savouring the cold breath in her lungs before releasing it and turning around to face Sai with a wry smile.

His simple hairstyle was mussed, and a light pink flush coloured his cheeks. He, who usually wore nothing more than a neutral expression, had eyes which were wide, as if he was winded from running. The sight was not an unusual one for Sakura, whom had seen him in all kinds of expressions throughout their childhood, but the emotion that swam in the dark colour of his irises wasn't the same kind of exhilaration that lingered in Sakura.

His breathing slowed down from the ragged huff. With the seasons in the middle of changing from Summer to Autumn, the air had a slight bite to it.

"That... That was-" Her breaths puffed up past her lips, causing the stray hairs that tangled around the front of her face to tickle the skin of her chin. She gulped another deep breath, but was cut off from finishing her comment by Sai's own winded voice.

"It was stupid of us."

Sakura couldn't mask her startled expression. Sure, she agreed with Sai that picking on the senior, especially one as temperamental as Deidara, wasn't wise, but they had escaped with all their limbs in tact and no suspension note.

She straightened her petite form and placed her hands on her hips. Across from her, Sai raised a shaky hand to run it through his disheveled hair.

"Well... yeah, it might have been stupid," She rolled her eyes, "but what was the other option? Get a beating we didn't ask for?"

Sai didn't respond. He was looking off onto the distance with a dazed look. His eyes were glazed over and his jaw was slack. Even for his fair complexion, he was white as sheet.

Sakura continued on, stretching her arms above her head.

"And I wasn't about to let him punch you, Sai." Her knotted muscles slowly loosened and Sakura released a sigh, "I'm actually glad I managed to land a hit, to be honest, that asshole-"

"That asshole is a respected senior who's dangerous, Sakura."

The harsh bite of Sai'a tone and the omission of his endeared nickname for her surprised Sakura. She slowly uncoiled from her stretched position to study her friend, whose unfocused eyes were now very much serious and somewhat fearful.

"... What's with you? Why're you making such a big deal out of this?"

Sai didn't answer. His serious stare diverted itself to watch the hawks overhead circle the thick overgrowth of the surrounding trees.

"You know what they say of him, Sakura. He is hot tempered and holds a grudge like no other. We should have just avoided it entirely."

Sakura scoffed, one hip cocked out. She switched her weight to one foot and reached to rub the spot on her temple.

"He was about to sock you in the face, Sai! Don't tell me I should have just let it happen!"

The black-haired male remained silent for a moment, smoothing out the creased of his shirt from their earlier scuffle.

"We should not have provoked him into it."

Frustration crawled like an unrelenting itch under her skin. A stray breeze shifted through her hair and felt cool against her heated skin. Sakura threw her hands up at his comment, confused with his sudden need to protect someone like Deidara, who would have felt no remorse for hurting either of them.

"Why are you defending him?" Her voice pitched above normal, "He would have sought violence anyway!"

Sai's own voice increased, "I'm not defending him. But the damage we have caused now is not worth it!" With his posture rigid, Sai stalked a few steps forward, his eyes burned with renewed frustration, fear and something Sakura could not distinguish behind the fringe that shadowed his eyes.

"What would you do if he decides to take revenge? Or if he marks me for life whenever we see each other in the Art Wing?" At each question, Sai's steps brought him closer, "What would you do if he decides to hurt you back for nearly castrating him, Sakura?"

The unrelenting push of his words make Sakura's own insecurities crest. Her throat began to tighten slightly at the reminder of angry blue eyes and a chaotic art room.

"What would you do?!"

"I don't know!" She screamed back.

Her heart pounded and the chilly air around them felt muted. It did nothing to calm her mild panic.

Sakura closed her eyes against the wave of dizziness that swept over her. Her balance teetered slightly, but she shook it off. She would not be afraid of Deidara. Sakura had spent her entire life suffering at the hands of her bullies. People who had tormented the scarred girl with pink hair and a large forehead would always remain inside of her. But while that part of her life would always haunt her and cause a measurable amount of pain, Sakura refused to buckle from cowardice again. Deidara was dangerous, hot tempered and vengeful, but she had not brought upon herself - or Sai - the anger. The blonde artist did it himself.

So why was Sai launching her questions with such fear and embarrassment in his eyes?

They were quiet for a moment. The birds and distant sounds of people filling the gap that had speared itself between them.

"...This isn't about Deidara at all, is it?"

The muscles between Sai's shoulders tightened, crookling his rigid form even more. His hands clenched into fists and a flush began to creep up his neck and ears.

"..."

His eyes were flat and guarded like a fortress she couldn't impede upon. Sai had always been good at masking his emotions, but his silence told her that while she didn't know what it was that was making Sai act this way, she wasn't far off from the truth. There was something bothering him and it had nothing to do with Deidara.

Sai didn't answer or offer any other reaction. His black eyes did not meet her bright green ones when he fiddled with his shirt for a beat of a second and then turned around. Without even glancing back, her best friend walked away from her.

Sakura watched, unmoving from her position as he eventually disappeared around the corner without a hint of a goodbye.

Her question remained hanging in the air, like a ghost that refused to leave.

There was a fountain that stood proudly on the heart of the academy courtyard that was considered the most iconic place on campus.

Sakura had spent many years walking by the fountain and witnessing visiting parents or prospective students taking pictures by the fountain.

Spanning the height of more than two men, the fountain was a massive decorative piece that stood smack dab in the middle of the vast greenery and stone pavements in front of the campus bundling. Framed on all sides by the different blocks of the school, the fountain was symmetrically centred to be the gem of the campus ground. The circumference was easily a few metres long, with tiers of marble segmenting the levels. A twisting, stone centrepiece decorated the crest of the tiered levels like a star on a Christmas tree. The winding stone crown represented the immortal flame of the Fire Country. Jets of clear water shot from the base and showered the towering statue like a transparent curtain, flowing and streaming down the sides of the hard stone.

The entire piece was made from white marble, with silvery veins and grey undertones that reflected in the light. The inhuman sheen of the surface glistened when dusted with the droplets of water that dotted it's surface like fresh dew. The water was completely transparent, glistening and refracting the light from the sun and creating patterns that moved to the rhythm of the water. The staff had clearly maintained the water well. Despite it being outdoors, with rain and falling leaves gracing three seasons of Konoha, there was not a spec of dirt to be found in the fountain.

It looked clean enough to drink, which, Sakura supposed, was the whole point.

It was a well-known tradition for all starting freshmen to drink a palm-full of the water from the fountain during their first week at the academy. Sakura too, had gulped a good amount years ago when she was starting her secondary quarter as a freshmen. She could vaguely recall the taste of the minerals and the cooling sensation of the clear liquid sliding down her throat.

The act of doing so was an initiation of sort. There was an old legend that stated that the water of the fountain was filled with the same water that flowed from the springs on Mount Hokage - blessed with the Will of Fire and the spirit of the country's predecessors. Over the years, Sakura had seen many of her juniors, giddy with the excitement of starting their tertiary education, follow in suit of the tradition. Though she could never tell if the legend was true, it was one of the institutions most revered customs for it's youngest students.

Which is why Sakura was sure she looked very out of place at the moment.

The Haruno sat on one of the stone benches that surrounded the fountain, her posture slumped like a demure doll. Her bottle green eyes were blank and unseeing. She distractedly watched the water slide down the pale surface of the fountain, cutting like tiny tributaries before sliding over the small pebbles that collected at the base.

After Sai had left her standing at the front entrance of the main building, Sakura had stood for minutes, baffled and confused from his abrupt departure. He had offered no comment to her last words, and she had been left with a head full of questions ever since.

At some point in her stupor, Sakura had wandered over to the gem of the campus and planted herself on the very bench she occupied now. Her thoughts drifted from one confused thought to another.

Sai's reaction was lost to her. Sakura had thought herself to be the one person who knew Sai best. They had grown up together, and she had become his closest confidant, just as he was to her. She had been able to deduce his emotions in spite of the emotionless mask he wore in public. This time, however, even Sakura had no idea why he was so... upset.

Sakura flipped her phone over for the nth time when it blipped with a message alert. Her heart leaped at the assumption it was Sai, but she was disappointed to only find it to be a message from her mother about plans for dinner that evening.

She absentmindedly texted her reply and glanced at the time on her phone screen.

More than an hour had passed. She had unknowingly skipped her last class.

The sound of rustling and footsteps behind her made Sakura tense. For a brief moment of panic, she suspected it to be Deidara - coming to take revenge on her.

Without getting up, Sakura twisted in her spot to catch sight of a familiar dark figure.

It wasn't Deidara, and it wasn't Sai either.

Sighing, Sakura turned back around to face the fountain. Her peace vanishing with the addition of another.

"What do you want, Uchiha?"

Sasuke said nothing. She heard him stop a few paces away and lean against the stone column of the archway that encased the fountain on all sides like a wide, skeletal perimeter.

"Hn, I wasn't aware only you were allowed to loiter at the fountain, Haruno." His deep voice was casual and bored.

With her back to him, Sakura rolled her eyes. His sarcastic comments was a common occurrence in all of their spats. She just didn't feel like dealing with him now.

"And I wasn't aware that you Uchiha's 'loitered' at all."

Sakura could hear the rustling of his coat when he shifted.

"We have our reasons. Adding more grief to skulking Haruno's, for instance."

She bristled with his honest, yet evasive reply. "Then you should leave. I'm not skulking."

"And your hair isn't an absurd pink." The heavy sarcasm that coated his implied comment irritated her, as it always did.

"I don't need this right now, Uchiha." She bit out tersely. She remained where she sat, not turning to look at him.

Sasuke didn't reply. He was silent as the gentle wind that blew over the land. A few seconds ticked by and Sakura could have almost forgotten that he was even there, had her awareness towards him been honed sharp after years of antagonism.

Sakura wondered why he did not leave. And more importantly, why he stayed. There were few moments when the two of them managed to remain within a close vicinity of one another and be silent. It was such an unusual occurrence that the absence of their bickering had her on the edge.

"Sai is upset..."

Sakura was shocked at her own words - which were spoken involuntarily. They had slipped past her lips and into the air before she could even think about them. Against her own will, she had actually voiced out what she was disconcerted by - to Sasuke of all people.

She was met with stony silence, though she could hear a small movement from behind her. He must have been caught off guard by her comment too.

Her shoulders hunched further within herself and Sakura leaned her elbows on her knees. Without him speaking, the pinkette could have almost assumed the silent figure behind her wasn't her sworn enemy.

"I don't know why... He left without saying." She continued. Her eyes stared unseeing, once more, at fountain.

The sound of running water followed her words and occupied the space which Sasuke did not fill with a reply.

"We... argued. We never argue. But he was defending that, that-" her mind conjured up the twisted face of Deidara "-heinous man, who could have hurt us had I not-"

"Deidara is an idiot who can't control his own temper. Not resisting would have made you an even bigger idiot than him."

His words took her off guard. Almost as much as the fact Sasuke apparently knew whom she had been referring to almost immediately.

She turned her head slightly to catch sight of his figure from the corner of her eye.

Sasuke was leaning against the stone column with his ankles crossed and arms folded. His gaze remained front-facing, giving her his profile, but his eyes moved for brief moment to meet her's.

Sakura immediately turned around again.

"... Then why was Sai so upset that I fought back?"

The sound behind her suggested that Sasuke had moved once again. She didn't turn, but she could feel his gaze on her back.

'What the hell am I doing talking to him about all of this?'

She was uncomfortable with his stare. She was even more uncomfortable with the situation. Here she was, spilling her troubles to Uchiha Sasuke of all people. And there had yet to be any shouting or loathsome insults. Anger was a muted emotion that hovered on the edges of her subconscious but was not upfront as she always felt around the dark-haired make.

"Pride."

The sound of his voice snapped her attention away from her discomfort. She twisted her neck to see him facing her, his dark eyes swam with a knowledge she didn't comprehend.

"Huh?"

Sasuke's lips pursed from her air-headed reply. He looked away as he elaborated.

"He is upset because of his pride."

Confusion continued to plague her. What did pride have anything to do with it?

Sakura frowned as she rolled his comment around her mind. Pride wasn't something that Sakura often associated with her closest friend. Out of the two of them, she had always been the more prideful one, the more stubborn. It was part of the reason why she always refused to back down from Sasuke when Sai much preferred to avoid the fight all together. For him to be hurt because of his pride... what reason did he have?

"Why?"

Sasuke uncrossed his arms, "Why did you fight back?"

Sakura frowned at the change of topic. Still, she answered, hoping it would clarify things. "Deidara - he was about to hit Sai. I wasn't going to stand around and let that happen."

Sasuke didn't seem surprised by it, though there was a brief moment where Sakura thought she caught a glimpse of admiration in his black eyes. The emotion was so fleeting she was convinced it was the late afternoon sun that was playing tricks on her instead.

"You protected him." It didn't sound like a question, but more of a statement.

"Of course. He's my best friend."

Sasuke turned away and recrossed his arms, resuming his original position against the column. The angle gave Sakura a clear view of his profile again. She traced his outline, silently capturing his refined features and black, spiky hair contrasting against the white stone column.

Leaning against it, he seemed to belong with the setting. His handsome features resembed the Grecian heroes Sakura often glimpsed at museums and the polished surface of the Ionic column matched his fair complexion. Sasuke could have belonged to the marble structures around them - hard and beautiful and unforgiving.

"You stepping in to save him hurt his pride."

Sakura scoffed lightly at his reasoning. "Sai's not like that, he wouldn't be upset from something so petty."

"Petty or not - he is still a man, and all men have pride."

The strength of Sasuke's words bore down like a weight on her. Was he right? She pondered over his words and recapped the incident outside the campus building, when Sai had been flustered and shaken and embarrassed. He had turned away from her and disappeared when she had insinuated that what had been troubling him was not Deidara, but something else entirely.

'Could it be..?'

"... But, why didn't he just say so?" Sakura asked aloud quietly, more to herself than to Sasuke.

She twisted around fully so that her torso faced Sasuke.

"How do you even know? You and Sai have barely talked in your entire lives. It could be something else-"

The younger Uchiha brother gave her a look like he was questioning her intelligence. He sighed under his breath and moved to face her fully, one shoulder braced against the column instead of his back.

"I don't have to know him to know I'm right. You saving him makes him feel less of a man for being unable to save himself."

Sakura frowned at the blunt tone of Sasuke's words. She didn't want to believe that Sai would care about something as fickle as image, but what if that was really the case?

Clearly, he had been upset with what had happened, but only about Sakura's resistance against Deidara. She thought back on the way he tensed whenever someone insulted him based on his sexuality. As strong as Sai seemed, the lack of support he got from his guardian about his preferred companion made him insecure to a certain degree. Was that also a contributing factor to his pride? Psychologically, Sakura could empathise. She did not mean him harm when she moved to intercept Deidara's blow - she had been acting on the instinct to protect - but it was clear that though her actions had been harmless, there was still damage unseen to the eye. She would have to take the effort to apologise to Sai later on.

With her confusion now cleared, Sakura was suddenly aware of the person who had brought upon that realisation. Her neck felt tight and she was uncomfortable once again. It was so bizarre to her; to be conversing with Sasuke - be confiding in him - when they had never seen eye to eye.

This was the most civil conversation between the two of them ever. It was something she wasn't sure was real because it felt so unfamiliar and strange that she could have been dreaming it.

Her evergreen eyes peeked up from beneath her lashes to observe his tall figure.

He had switched positions once again. His hands were no longer crossed across his broad chest, but shoved into the pockets of his jeans. The dark blue shirt he wore fit snugly on his chest, the fabric hiding the muscles that rippled when he shifted his weight. The long sleeves were pushed to the elbows, where his forearms flexed with corded muscles, the veins standing out like ropes under his fair skin.

Her throat suddenly felt parched and her hands clammy. She rubbed them on her own jeans as she looked away from him.

Without their bickering interactions, she was at a loss of what to say. Him talking to her, and even helping her with her problems, made her feel unstable. She could not think of anything neutral to say to him when nearly every word she had directed to him in the past involved harsh words and insults. This version of Sasuke reminded her that there was more than one side of Sasuke - and this one resembled the same man whom had saved her from being crushed by a towering shelf and rescued her from an unforeseeable fate in the hands of a volatile artist.

She was under the assumption that the Sasuke she had seen that day - whom had pinned her down to shield her from the crumbling debris that showered them both - was an illusion. A brief moment that was fuelled by nothing more than an impulsive action. Just by sitting here now, she wondered if that was a side of him that was buried and shielded from her whenever they fought.

"Yo teme! Hope you weren't waiting- Hey Sakura-chan!" a loud, happy voice called out of nowhere.

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to see a jolly Naruto bounding towards them. Behind him were a bunch of Sasuke and Naruto's friends, whom were exchanging curious glances. No doubt they were wondering why the Haruno and Uchiha were even near one another and not screaming or beating each other to death.

Sakura got up from her seat and smiled at Naruto. She was taken aback when he didn't slow and tackled her into a warm hug.

The blonde laughed and twirled her around in the air, not even winded from having to carry her weight. Sakura herself was flustered, laughing at Naruto's antics when he finally sat her back down on the ground.

Her eyes grew warm with fondness as the spiky haired blonde began talking all at once.

Long ago, before the wedge between Sasuke and Sakura grew to a massive chasm filled with dislike, she and Naruto had been good friends. The blonde had always been so jolly, so effervescent, that it was hard for anyone who met him to not eventually warm up to him. He was a radiant sunshine that paired with Sasuke's dark shadow. They were so different, and complimented each other so well. It was no wonder they were best friends.

"-so you wanna join us, Sakura-chan?"

Over the mass of words that Naruto had spewed, she had managed to only catch a few. The pinkette assumed that the jist of it was something about lunch, not having talked in so long and eating Ramen.

She looked to the blonde's companions, whom were lingering awkwardly at the side, before glancing at Sasuke.

He wasn't looking at her.

For some reason, her heart felt heavy at the fact. The fragile peace that hovered in the air before Naruto's entrance was no where to be found, replaced with coldness and the usual tension. Whatever they had shared earlier was gone, as transient as a gust of wind.

Sakura's grin settled into a small smile as she politely rejected Naruto's offer. It would have been awkward to accept and now that she knew what had upset Sai, she wanted to rectify it as soon as she could.

For a second, Sakura thought of thanking Sasuke for his help, but discarded the thought when he straightened from where he had been standing and strode off without looking back or waiting for Naruto.

Inuzuka Kiba moved with Sasuke, as did a few of their other friends, and Naruto called after them.

Sakura took the opportunity to excuse herself, gesturing for Naruto to catch up with the rest of his companions.

The blonde grinned and leaned down to peck her on the cheek before bounding after the retreating figures, all the while hollering insults at Sasuke for "being a bastard and leaving him behind".

Watching them for a moment, Sakura's eyes traced over Sasuke's moving figure before she shook her head to clear her wayward thoughts.

She had no clue what had happened between them earlier, or why he even bothered to listen to her dilemma, but there was no use in thinking too deeply about it. Sasuke was of no concern to her - Sai was.

Turning in the opposite direction, Sakura walked with renewed purpose, her destination mapped out in her mind.

She did not think anything of the strange feeling that fluttered somewhere in her heart.

End Note:

Updated 2016 Note:

Rewriting this chapter was a pain. The original events just didn't fit in with the rest of the story and I was stuck for a good seven days trying to figure out a new way to write it into the existing plot line.

I'm sure there are still plenty of gaps and mistakes in my writing in this chapter, but as of now, I'm satisfied that I managed to incorporate some sense of peace and slowly-developing friendship between Sakura and Sasuke. It wouldn't make sense to have them jump from hate to love immediately without any kinship in between.