disclaimer: naruto is not mine

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Good Luck Charm

somebrokenhearts

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She didn't know how it started, but now she was branded as every jock's good luck charm. She felt like a piece of merchandise that could be thrown around and sold for half off the original price.

Buy a Sakura Haruno today. Guaranteed good luck in whatever field of athletics. Side effects may include…

And so on and so forth. She wasn't really sure when this reputation was established. She supposed it had something to do with when she started dating a then nobody on the football team her sophmore year. He was her first real boyfriend. His name was Kiba…

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flashback

WHAM!

A bubble-gum pink haired girl went sprawling across the classroom.

"Damnit," she cursed under her breath, "Damn these stupid chairs."

She heard sneers and chuckles all throughout the room.

"Having a little trouble walking SA-KU-RA?" a girl with bright red hair taunted.

"No Karin. It just seems that the sight of your face causes many to do everything in their power to run away. Unfortunately for me, it seems that this chair prevented me from doing so."

She heard a laugh from in front of her sprawled form.

"You sure have a sharp tongue."

She looked at the face of the stranger with his hand offered towards her.

"Umm…thanks."

And she pulled herself up.

"Your name?"

"Kiba. Yours?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura, eh? I've heard of you."

The pink-haired girl sighed.

"Yah. I am the pink-haired freak who is known school-wide as some sort of wacky genius because I excel in the art of studying. But I really don't recognize you Kiba. Are you new to the school this year?"

"No. I just don't think I've been in any of your classes since you're a genius and I'm kind of a dumbass."

She looked over the boy and noticed the athletic build behind his school uniform.

"Let me guess. Athlete?"

He laughed.

"I'm trying out for the football team, but who knows if I'll make it."

By this time the pair had already made their way back to the desks in the back of the classroom and were chatting animatedly about their 'aspirations'.

"Why football?"

Kiba shrugged.

"It seems like something every high school guy with no athletic skills would play, right? All you hafta do is hurl yourself full speed at the opponent. There is no skill required."

Just then the teacher waltzed into the classroom.

"That I have to agree with, mate. Well tell me how it goes," Sakura hurriedly whispered and turned her attention away from Kiba and to the front of the classroom.

2 days later

Sakura met Kiba outside of the boys locker room after football tryouts. They had already developed a solid friendship, and Sakura was supporting her new friend.

"So Kiba, how did it go?"

"Fantastic."

She heard a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Seriously, Kiba."

"If you have to know, I'm a reserve player. Which means I have to practice just as hard as the other guys, but I won't get in the game unless someone keels over."

"That's great."

"No, Sakura. That's a pathetic embarrassment."

"No, it's not. Do you know how easily big, fat guys in football keel over?"

At this, Kiba had to laugh.

"I guess your right, Sakura. There was nothing really to worry about."

Sakura took the chance to gloat.

"I'm always right."

"Pfft. You are full of it."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at the boy and smirked.

"Oh no you didn't," Kiba warned.

"Oh yes I did."

"Now you're so going to get it."

"Not if you can't catch me you big, bulky Mr. Football player."

Kiba smirked.

"I can catch you any day any time."

Kiba started running towards the pink-haired genius and she giggled and sprinted off towards the other end of the school.

Pretty soon, she stopped when she was sure that Kiba was far, far behind.

"Whew," she murmured to herself, "I got my exercise for today. I knew he was far to slow for my abilities."

Sakura felt the need to do a victory dance. But as she started to twist and turn her body, a pair of strong arms came up behind her and wrapped around her waist. She gasped.

"What the…"

"Gotcha."

And that was the beginning of her and Kiba's relationship.

4 months later

The Konoha Leaves were, for the first time, going to the city championships. The whole school was hyped up, and everyone was going to the big game.

Sakura walked down the hallway, hand and hand with Kiba, and gaped at the banners, balloons, amidst a hodgepodge of excited students.

"Holy cow. It's like a giant piñata exploded."

Kiba laughed and squeezed her hand.

"You are so cute."

Sakura glared at him.

"Cute?"

"What? I can't say that? But I'm your boyfriend."

"Cute is how you describe bunnies and babies."

"Well…"

Sakura lightly punched his shoulder.

"Don't even go there Mister."

Kiba smiled down at his girlfriend's fuming figure. Even if he wasn't going to play in the championships, at least he had Sakura to come to afterwards.

Later, when the team began to head to the bus, Sakura gave her boyfriend a peck on the lips.

"Good luck my athlete."

Kiba smiled at her, and watched as his pink-haired lady was swallowed into the crowd.

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The game was going full swing. It was the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Konoha leaves were down two points to the team from Suna.

Their only chance was to have their kicker kick a field goal from the forty yard line. It wasn't a far kick, but the kicker for Konoha was pretty much inept. As he stepped towards the ball, he tripped over his own feet and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

The whole team tried everything they could to rouse him, but he was finally placed on a stretcher and carried off. The Leaves brought in their reserve kicker who missed the goalpost by a good eighty feet. Literally.

It seemed like all hope was lost. The Konoha supporters felt the game was over, the Suna team had won. When suddenly, a player from Suna was tackled and the ball was fumbled. Both teams scrambled to get the loose ball, and many of the players ended up in a huge dog pile. Then, the ball squirted out from beneath the pile of players, and out of nowhere, a Konoha player grabbed the ball and proceeded to sprint all the way to….

TOUCHDOWN!

The crowd went wild. This was the game of the century. THAT was the play of the century. Konoha had won the city championships all thanks to…

Who was that person? No one had ever seen the player who scored the touchdown before. The crowd went silent. No one knew who the player was.

A lone voice called out,

"YAH KIBA!"

It was the pink-haired girlfriend.

The crowd erupted in screams of,

"KIBA. KIBA. KIBA."

Kiba threw his helmet up into the air and blew a kiss at Sakura and mouthed thank you.

Kiba was lucky that when the kicker had been carted off the field, the coach had secretly substituted out one of the players.

He knew that the coach had probably done it out of despair. The coach had probably thought that they were going to lose the game.

Kiba smiled at the crowd and headed back to where the coach was standing. The coach was, in short, ecstatic. He kept pounding Kiba on the back and telling him that he was the star of the game, MVP, all that nonsense. But even as Kiba was hoisted onto the backs of his teammates, trophy in hand, he couldn't stop thinking about how much he wanted to see Sakura. Now.

But every time he tried to get away from the fans, the team, his coach, the TV reporters, he was pulled back. He looked around the stadium for pink-hair, and finally spotted her at the end of the field, away from the crowds.

He tried to push his way through the endless throng of people.

"Excuse me…pardon umm…could you move."

But his efforts were to no avail. He couldn't get to Sakura. Finally, he gave up. He would talk to her tomorrow at school.

Tomorrow

Kiba spotted Sakura standing in front of her locker at the start of school.

"Hey."

Sakura turned around, but didn't say anything to him.

"What? No congratulations or nothing?" Kiba teased.

Sakura glared at him.

"Shit. What did I do?"

Sakura continued glaring.

"SAKURA!"

She growled,

"Fine Kiba. If you have to know. I waited for four hours last night at the stadium for you. FOUR HOURS. My parents were so pissed at me that now I'm grounded for a whole week. On top of that, I tried calling you all last night despite being grounded, and I got my phone taken away. You better explain. NOW."

Kiba scratched his head.

"Well, umm, Sakura…"

He was interrupted by a sudden screech,

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S KIBA!!"

He was immediately swamped by fangirls and boys alike and swept away from Sakura. As he was herded off, he saw a single tear on Sakura's face.

That night, Kiba got a call.

"Hello?"

"Hi. It's Sakura."

"Oh hey Sakura. Look, about this morning."

"Yah. And class, lunch, after school?"

"Sakura, I'm sorry. It's not my fault, but every time I try to talk to you…"

"Look Kiba. I understand, but I really don't think this is gonna work out."

"WHAT?! What do you mean."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm a geek. You're the MVP. Your in the spotlight now, okay? Do you think everything's going to go back to normal in a few weeks? I've seen you at lunch, with your new set of friends. I get it."

"No. Sakura stop you don't understand. Just let me explain…"

"I don't think this is going to work. Sorry."

"Sakura! Don't go. Hang on…"

Dial tone.

"DAMNIT! She hung up."

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The next few weeks passed by in a blur. Kiba didn't really have time to worry about Sakura to be frank. There were dinners, parties, and ceremonies to attend. There were interviews and TV appearances. Kiba was the unknown who became the A-lister. He was everywhere, on magazines, newspapers, channel 8.

Every time Sakura saw Kiba's face on another ad, she was both furious and sad. He never did apologize or explain anything to her. She felt so used.

Kiba was sitting around with his new group of friends at lunch one day.

"So Kiba, got a girlfriend yet?" one taunted.

"It's not too hard when you get any girl you want, right?" another teased.

Kiba sighed.

"I did have a girlfriend. But she broke up with me after the game?"

"Who is she?"

"Yah. Is she hot?"

Kiba scowled at their words, and pointed to Sakura.

"Whoah! Isn't that the geek?"

"Yah Kiba. She's a total nerd!"

"She was the reason I won the game."

"Oh yeah right!"

"No way."

"It's true. Something about her was like, I don't know, magical. I know, it sounds stupid right?"

"DUH!"

"I don't know Haruki. He may be on to something."

Kiba looked at him with disbelief.

"Hmmm. You may be right Gorou. I say we experiment."

And before Kiba could utter a word of protest, his two 'friends' were off.

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a/n: review and all that jazzzzzz