He had no idea what came over him that made him do that. He could only remember how he was about to lose control at the sight of a certain annoying girl who was too clueless for her own good to notice the danger she was currently in.
He never really thought about his actions, the next thing he saw was the blood on his hand. He was so livid that he could not feel the pain. The sound of her crying and the feel of her arms around him brought him back to his senses, but he knew that what he did could very much affect the team and their chances of winning the championship. He could get suspended for a game, or worse, he wouldn't play in the finals anymore.
After all, he had gotten into a fight with the opposing team's player. He was the one who initiated the fight. Hell, he punched that lowlife in the face.
But he also realized he did not regret any of his actions. He was not even contented yet with a single punch. And hearing the girl mumble apologies after apologies, he could not help but feel his anger rise again.
"Sakura…" He started but then again his voice could not compete to the sound of her cries. The way he bit his lower lip could give away how he was trying to compose himself despite of what transpired within the day.
"M' really sorry.. really." She continued to mumble while sobbing against his back.
A heavy sigh escaped the raven-haired guy's lips. He hadn't much had experience when it came to crying girls, much less a certain pink-haired girl. However, he knew how easily she could get embarrassed.
"Are you seriously going to cry all over my back?" He knew he said the right thing, for the girl gasped in surprise, instantly putting some distance between them.
He quietly observed the girl as he turned to face her. Her bangs had apparently shielded his view on her emerald eyes, but there were certain things that didn't go unnoticed to Sasuke: her disheveled locks, her trembling form, the way she bit her lower lip to suppress her cries.
And as he took in the sight of her, so defenseless, so pure, there was this sudden overwhelming feeling within him that he could not brush off. I never want to see her again in this state, he silently vowed to himself to do everything in his power to protect this little annoying girl.
"Tch, stop crying." He awkwardly started rubbing the back of his neck while looking anywhere but her. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He proceeded to walk towards the door. He visibly relaxed when he heard her hesitant footsteps, but not until he felt her grip on the hem of his hoodie to stop him from going further.
He sighed as he turned around once more to face the pink-haired girl. "What is it this time? If you're going to apologize once more, forget it."
Sasuke immediately noticed how she stopped crying, but her face was red all over. She did not bother to reply as he followed her gaze only to see his worsening injury on his left hand.
"Don't worry about it. Let's go." He quickly brushed it off as he once again made a move to open the door. However, the outburst coming from his companion had completely took him off-guard.
"No! How can we just leave it like that! You're a basketball player, you should've been more careful of your hands! Now, let's get you to the clinic!" She started pulling him as they exited the room and into the empty hallways.
As if she hadn't been crying for almost an hour or so, she lectured him for not taking care of himself, and yet he got the feeling he should be the one scolding her.
This girl never failed to surprise him.
.
.
.
.
.
The way she frowned as she tended to his hand had already confirmed his earlier theory of his hand's condition worsening. Earlier in the game, that scumbag team captain of Iwa did a little thing or two that resulted into a wound in his left hand when he tried to shield his face from crashing into the sharp edge of the backboard.
The cut was not really bad at first, but when he still tried to play in the fourth quarter, any one could guess how badly it turned out for his poor hand.
When they entered the clinic, they were not surprised to find out that the school nurse already left for it was already past the hour of five in the afternoon. Once again, Sasuke was about to disregard the numbing pain he was feeling in his left hand, but Sakura had beaten him into it.
She immediately explained that she could do it and that he had nothing to worry about, as she was rummaging for the first aid kit in the drawers. Meanwhile, Sasuke, knowing he could not do anything but let her do as she please, sat quietly on the nearby bed while waiting for her.
She was gentle in the way she unwrapped the bandages on his left hand. She was heavily focused on his left hand that her bangs started to fall onto her face. Sasuke was trying to fight the sudden urge to tuck those loose strands behind her ears.
He carefully observed how her hands were so small compared to his; they were soft and delicate. In the few months that he knew this girl, this was the first time he actually started to look at her, the way she furrowed her brows when she was concentrating, her soft, tiny hands warm against his skin, her eyes so green, making them unique and expressive.
As he started to realize he was staring, he quickly scolded himself mentally for entertaining such ridiculous thoughts. Like, what the hell he was thinking.
He knew she wanted to be a doctor someday for Naruto babbled about her almost every day. Now, he could actually see her in that white coat. It totally suits her. He was sure the kids would love her.
She smiled brightly like she usually does as she examined her work. She gave him a few reminders on how to treat his wound as if she already is a doctor. Sasuke did nothing but nod his head. He did not know when did he actually started to let her into his personal space nor when they started to get this close. He always just looked at her as Naruto's childhood friend, Naruto's girl or whatever.
And that outside of Naruto, he never thought of spending time with her alone, but, as they walked together towards the gym to pick up their bags, he realized that there were already many instances when they had actually hung out without the idiot, and that he did not see her in that way anymore.
The fact that he had gotten mad over her, brought out certain emotions from within him. This power she held over him made him want to scream at her for bewitching him.
But no matter how many times he disregarded these things, he knew he had already fallen for her trap.
.
.
.
.
.
As they walked along the streets, she did not protest when he insisted on walking her home. She was silent the entire time; she was not blushing like she usually would whenever their hands would come in contact.
She was nervous, so nervous that Sasuke could not help but to point it out. She quickly averted his gaze as they turned around a corner. "It's just that, Sasuke-kun, what if you get suspended because of me?"
Ah.. so that's what kept her thoughts running wild.
"You worry too much." He replied shortly. She opened her mouth to voice out her concerns but this time, Sasuke was able to cut her off.
"We're here."
Sakura was so preoccupied with her thoughts she did not even know for how long they were walking, she'd been so deep in her thoughts that she was just walking and following Sasuke's lead, not bothering to actually focus on where they were going. In fact, Sasuke had to pull her twice when she was about to cross the street when the light was red.
"If you always space out like that, you could get lost. Or worse." He paused as he exhaled heavily trying not to get worked up again. "Before you worry about other people, you should worry about yourself." And without thinking, he poked her forehead, trying to knock some sense into her.
However, he did not expect for her to stare at him in shock and in wonder on what happened. He started to feel embarrassed as well as he quickly noticed the way her cheeks started to paint red.
He had given some incoherent excuse to leave right away as he turned around and started walking briskly, leaving a completely dazed Sakura in front of her house.
And for the umpteenth time of that day, Sasuke wanted to bang his head straight into a nearby tree for losing his cool.
.
.
.
.
.
Naruto was beyond frustrated the entire game; he felt that he could've performed better. Yes, the opposing team's players irked him to no end. However, he also knew what Sasuke was doing the entire game and that was what irked him more.
That bastard of his best friend was trying to get all Iwa's players' attention solely focused on him despite how dangerous it was. Sasuke knew their dirty tactics; Naruto knew all along what that smug of a team captain was trying to do. And in response, Sasuke was trying to create openings for the rest of Konoha's players including Naruto.
And the fact that bastard got hurt in the third quarter had Naruto wanting to punch that Han in the face.
Konoha was clearly in a crisis the entire game, and seeing Sasuke hurt had even made it worse. The rest of the team had lost their confidence and their cool. It was the most physical game of the year.
So when the game ended, their coach instructed Sasuke to go to the clinic straightaway while the team still gathered at the center of the court bowing to the audience. Naruto being Naruto, he went after his best friend right away.
Unfortunately, he found the clinic empty.
He actually searched for him, but to no avail, even the coach had no idea where he went. He also did not come back for the team's meeting late in the afternoon. That is why Naruto was standing right in front on his best friend's house, waiting impatiently.
He'd already seen his best friend from afar looking lost in his own thoughts. The blonde had also quickly noticed the fresh and neat bandage around Sasuke's left hand. And when Sasuke was close enough to notice him, Naruto started waving like crazy.
"Yo! I was searching for you all afternoon?! Where did you go?" The blonde did not waste a second and walked towards his friend, not bothering to wait.
"Nowhere." Sasuke replied shortly. And much to Naruto's confusion, Sasuke started to avoid his gaze.
"Hey, what's wrong? Does your injury hurt that much?" This time, Naruto started to feel anxious. In his opinion, aside from Sasuke's family, he was the only who could fully understand Sasuke well, so Naruto knew right away something was definitely wrong.
"Tch. It's nothing." Sasuke tried to get past the blonde and walked towards the Uchiha residence. However, Naruto was quick to intercept his friend.
"You don't think you can hide something from me, do you?" This time, Naruto's expression turned so serious that Sasuke got a little stunned for a moment.
When Naruto did not get any response from his friend, the blonde tried to console the Konoha's team captain. "I knew you hate it when I'm bothering you like this, but something was definitely off with you the whole game. And I can tell just based on your expression, whatever it is had turned you so anxious and such a wreck. And even if I ask you, you won't tell me, huh?"
Naruto's expression softened a little as he continued. "I've been watching you, you know? You've been avoiding me. I tried to tell myself that you were doing that because of the other team's dirty tricks, but you tried to blow me off again. The last time you had that same kind of expression on your face was back when I crashed the bicycle that you got from Itachi when we were nine. Why are you mad at me?"
Sasuke merely shrugged, not bothering to acknowledge his friend. "I'm not. Don't think too much, dobe."
And even before Naruto could try to nag his best friend once again, Sasuke was already closing the gates of their house. "Sas-!" He tried to call out once more, however, Itachi had put his right hand on the blonde's shoulder, smiling.
"Naruto-kun, thank you for your concern for my little brother. But I think he needs some nagging from me this time." Itachi said, smiling once again. "Trust me, I'll take care of it."
And with that, Naruto was left staring in front of the Uchiha's residence for a while, still too stunned of his friend's aloof attitude towards him.
.
.
.
.
.
"So care to tell your big brother what's gotten into you?" Itachi had barged into Sasuke's room without even bothering to knock. The older Uchiha had made himself comfortable sitting on the bed, crossing his arms, looking at his little brother expectantly.
"Nothing for you to be concerned about," Sasuke said in response, continuing to fix the contents of his bag.
"Really? Are you sure about that?"
"Nii-san.." Sasuke's shoulders slumped fractionally as he put his bag down on the couch and sat besides his older brother, giving up. For a while, he kept quiet, too preoccupied with his deep thoughts.
"I got into a fight with the other team." He said after a while.
"And?" Itachi inquired, turning his face to his younger brother expectantly.
"And what?" Sasuke shifted uncomfortably.
"It's not like you to get into fights. And more importantly, to brush off Naruto-kun like that," Itachi said casually; a slight concerned expression appeared on Itachi's face.
Sasuke felt like a child being scolded under his brother's scrutinizing gaze. But he also knew that he could not simply avoid his brother like what he did to Naruto. "Iwa had been pretty physical the entire game. I lost my temper."
"Naruto-kun's right. You're hiding something." Itachi said quickly as he took in the younger Uchiha's expression.
Sasuke frowned in response. "I'm just concerned I might get suspended because of it. I don't want him to find out about that."
"And you don't want him to find out because?" Itachi hadn't missed the way his brother clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he tried to look anywhere else. "Sasuke…"
"Fine. They tried to hurt her and I had to-"
"Her?"
"Tch. Sakura."
A silence took over between the two as Itachi stopped asking questions altogether. He had been busy studying his little brother's reactions the entire time. He never thought that one day his cute little brother would be so flustered, so messy before him. He smirked in response before laughing lightly.
"Ahhh.. I never thought this day would come." Itachi stretched his arms as he proceeded to lie down on the bed. "Sakura, huh? Is she pretty?"
"What?" Sasuke whipped his head so fast he could feel the bones of his neck cracking.
"I asked you if she's pretty." Itachi smiled knowingly.
"What kind of question is that? We were talking about-"
"I know. And it was just a simple question, Sasuke. Really. Why are you so worked up?" This time, Itachi could not help himself grinning.
"I am not. I actually have a serious problem here and you just started to ask some ridiculous questions."
"And yet, you still haven't answered my question." Itachi continued to press on, enjoying seeing this cute side from his little brother.
"She's..she's different."
Itachi laughed out loud this time much to Sasuke's embarrassment. "You really are an Uchiha, Sasuke. This just proves how different we are. You're very much like father; I just hope that you get to realize your feelings soon."
But before Sasuke could respond to that, Itachi's brows furrowed in concern. "Sakura.. is she Naruto's future girlfriend though?"
This had Sasuke swallowing whatever words he had to say and turned his head towards the window.
Meanwhile, Itachi observed quietly. Ah, so that's it…Sorry, Naruto-kun, I don't think my little brother will be able to face you for a while.
.
.
.
.
.
When Naruto heard that the two of his closest friends were sent into the principal's office first thing on a Monday morning, his initial reaction was shock and disbelief. Sasuke and Sakura-chan were the top two students of their class, they were the model students, in fact. So why?
He went to see them right away but as he was about to knock on the door, he could hear Sakura crying. "It was all my fault. Sasuke-kun should not get suspended. He just tried to defend me."
"That was not an excuse for punching someone." The firm and steady voice of the principal could be heard as well.
Naruto paused midway as he continued to listen in to the conversation. He also figured out that Kakashi-sensei was there trying to defend his students. "Mr. Kitagawa, with all due respect, based on what my students have told you, don't you think it's unfair to suspend Uchiha? Sasuke was just trying to do what a sensible person would."
"I will still call your parents, Mr. Uchiha. They need to find out about this. Something this serious could not be overlooked. And Ms. Haruno? If the students in Iwa truly tried to attack you, you should've told us right away. I understand that you two were just trying to protect each other, but not telling us could also lead into more trouble in the future, you understand, right?
"The two of you have been our model students. I hope this situation will not happen again. Until then, I will coordinate with Iwa and get a thorough investigation regarding this incident. You two can leave, Kakashi-sensei, we still have a lot to discuss."
A little shocked, Naruto hid himself in a corner as his closest friends exited the room.
He could clearly tell Sakura was really crying while Sasuke was silent as ever; his bangs hiding the expression on his face.
"Sasuke-kun, I really am sorry about this. I- I don't know what to say anymore to keep them from calling your parents. What should I do?" They stopped midway in the corridors.
"Stop apologizing. Didn't I tell you to stop worrying about it?"
"But-"
"Come on. We have a class to attend. We'll talk about this later."
And Naruto could not help but notice the difference in their interactions from before to now. The difference in Sasuke's expression when talking to Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan's special treatment to Sasuke, their equally flushed reactions when their hands would accidentally touch.
And he suddenly felt like an idiot.
.
.
.
.
.
At the end of the day, Sasuke and Sakura were tasked to write a report regarding the incident. They were asked to stay behind and submit the reports within the day.
Subconsciously, Sakura started to feel awkward being alone with him again. They were seated across each other, finishing their reports in their classroom. Their last encounter had been.. embarrassing. Sakura started to feel uncomfortable as she remembered the forehead poke and the cute way Sasuke rubbed his nape.
She did not even realize she stopped writing until the raven-haired guy looked at him expectantly. "What?"
He looked into her paper and got annoyed at the fact that she was only half-way through. Sakura must be out of her mind to think that the scowl on his face made him more attractive. She was also abashed for thinking such thoughts in the middle of completing their report.
He was too close, in her opinion. They were sharing one table after all. She could clearly see his long eyelashes, his smooth bangs, his bony cheeks, his lips. He was just so handsome.
"Stop spacing out and write."
He did not bother to look up as he spoke. And before Sakura could write once more, the Uchiha announced that he was done. Agitated, the pink-haired girl started to concentrate as well trying not to be too concerned about the fact that they were alone in the classroom and that he was couple of inches away from her.
Soon, Sasuke fell asleep as he was waiting for her to finish her work. Sakura could not help but observe the guy she had been crushing on sleep peacefully. Compared to his cool vibe, the guy who was sleeping across from her looked like an angel. He looked just like a prince from the tv dramas. She tried to keep quiet as much as possible not to disturb his nap.
Without even noticing, Sakura leaned in further to study her companion's face. A blush had made its way onto her cheeks as she examined the way his bangs would get into his face as the strong wind blew. She smiled contentedly, inclining her head to the right.
But Sakura had always been unlucky for the past few days. It was as if someone up there truly hated her, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and directed his gaze towards her.
She was too stunned, she was frozen in her spot; her eyes widened. Sasuke must be shocked as well; his onyx eyes boring into her emerald ones.
His eyes traveled from her emerald eyes to her button nose and then to her smooth pink lips. He did not miss the way she chewed her bottom lip, also one of the habits she does when she's nervous.
Only for about a few seconds after did Sakura realize what happened as she turned her head elsewhere, and started babbling nervously and made an excuse to leave altogether. But Sasuke was fast enough to hold her in place.
He held her arm just enough to get her to stay.
He did not say anything but stared at her. With his attention focused solely on her lips, Sakura unconsciously wet them. And Sasuke could not help but swallow at the sight of it.
"Sasuke-kun?" She questioned when she could no longer stand the heavy gaze she was receiving from the raven-haired guy.
He leaned in, too close until he was just a breath away from claiming her lips. His grip on her arm tightened; his eyes focusing on her eyes and then to her lips once again.
She felt like she was about to have a nervous breakdown; she was sure Sasuke could hear her heart jumping out of her ribcage.
He was about to close the distance between the two of them when a deep voice cut in. "I'm really sorry to interrupt you, my dear students, but I have to hand in your reports to the principal now." At the sound of Kakashi's voice, both of them stood up from their seats, so flustered that they could not look at each other.
"You did not even hear me enter the room. God, teenagers these days." Kakashi proceeded to collect the papers on the table.
As he was exiting the room, he turned back and looked at the still stunned faces of his two students. "You can go back to whatever you two were doing. I promise to keep it a secret. But just don't let other teachers catch you, we'll get into even deeper trouble. See you!" He waved his hand, shutting the door shut.
Sasuke was the one to recover first, looking at the red as tomato Sakura. He could not believe himself for almost doing such a thing. At that time, the face of his best friend flashed before his eyes, making him grit his teeth and leaving the pink-haired girl without bothering to say goodbye.
Sakura was left looking into an empty space, still trying to process what happened.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: Thanks to my lovely BETA- Nissaw for this! Sorry, I know it's been a while since I updated my stories-it's just that I got a little caught up with work.
Please leave me a review; I want to know what you guys think.