Charmed - 3. Snapshot

Akasuna Sasori

"That was good. One of these days, I'm going to ask Amaya-oba-chan for baking lessons," Sakura mumbled to herself as she walked down the soon-to-be crowded hallway. She just finished eating her lunch, which consisted of a hearty bento prepared by her okaa-san, and a slice of strawberry shortcake made by her patissier-in-training oba-chan. There was still around ten minutes before the bell signalling the end of lunch rings. As she trekked towards her locker to get her materials for music and physics class, she put on her new red earphones and the sizzling band beat of Last Romeo led her to lightly sway her head to the music. The pinkette was too immersed in the song to notice that a boy with a mischievous smile was following her towards her destination.

Sakura took her music folder and physics book from her locker and placed them inside her messenger bag. After closing her bag, she looked up to check in her locker mirror whether there were any cake crumbs left around her mouth. However, instead of cake crumbs, a playful grin was what greeted Sakura on the mirror. She stood rooted to her spot when a hand gently took out the earphone from her right ear.

"Boo," Kiba whispered near her ear, his voice low and teasing, sending tingles to crawl up her spine.

The pinkette chuckled nervously, and greeted him with a short "Hi." Kiba took a step back and leaned sideways on the locker beside her, and Sakura took that time to close her locker and return her phone and earphones inside her bag. Turning around, she was met by another playful grin, which she couldn't help but respond with a slight smile.

"How was your lunch at the field?" The brown-haired boy asked. Noticing that her side bangs were a little messy, most likely due to the breeze outside, Kiba stepped closer to her and bent his head down so that they were at eye level. Using his right hand, he lightly brushed her side bangs back to their place. At this distance, Sakura could perfectly examine his handsome face. Those sharp, gleaming black eyes, a jawline that makes girls go gaga, and plump lips that you just want to be devoured in— Sakura mentally kicked the perverted voice inside her head. To combat the incoming embarrassment, the pinkette averted her eyes from the boy whose face was currently too close to her own (inner disagrees, saying there should be no distance AT ALL). In reply to his query, she said, "It was… good, I guess. Wait. How would you know I was at the field?"

Suddenly caught off guard, Kiba retreated a step away from her, placing both his hands inside his pockets. With reddening ears, he averted his eyes towards the hallway, which was slowly being filled with students getting ready for class. He replied, "Umm, you know, I, uh, that's where I found you during lunch to give your keychain back. So I assumed." The truth was, twenty minutes before the end of lunch, Kiba went outside the cafeteria to get his phone from his locker. He passed through a skywalk that connected the two main buildings of the school. On his way back, he noticed the pinkette sitting under the same Japanese maple tree where they had their first real conversation. Instead of returning to the cafeteria, Kiba leaned against the skywalk's window and simply watched her with a smile on his face (not in a creepy, stalker-ish way!). Sakura's question reminded him of that, so he became slightly embarrassed for, you know, watching her (again, not like a creep, geez).

Sakura blinked. Did I say something wrong? Before she was able to ponder more on that thought, a familiar, velvety voice reached her ears. She turned around, and the elegant poise and prince-like smile of one Uchiha Itachi greeted her.

"It's been a while, Sakura."

Trying not to blush (asfdgk, you handsome sonofa—inner), the pink-haired girl smiled at the senior representative and replied, "Hey, Itachi-san. Shouldn't you be heading to class?" The dark-haired male hummed in response, while taking out a piece of rice stuck on Sakura's serafuku ribbon. The pinkette blinked, staring at Itachi's hand. What's up with people and fixing me up?

A cough behind her jolted Sakura out of that train of thought, reminding her of Kiba's presence. Not wanting to be rude, she was about to introduce the two together but Itachi's voice stopped her.

"Kiba-san."

"Itachi-san."

Glancing at both males, the cerise-haired girl silently wondered how the two knew each other. Also, she couldn't help but feel a sudden tension in the air. Must be my imagination… On the other hand, while Sakura was on her own little world, the two boys were staring each other down, as if they were some kind of challengers in a battle to win a most precious prize.

For some reason, Itachi just knew that his younger brother's friend has the same interest in Sakura as he does (guy intuition, maybe?). The moment he spotted the pinkette along the row of lockers, his onyx eyes narrowed, seeing Kiba so close to her. The same intuitive thought passed through the brown-haired boy's mind. As far as Kiba knew, the older Uchiha was never interested much in female interaction, much less smiling tenderly towards a particular girl. As much as he respected the senior representative, he couldn't help but suddenly develop a dislike towards him. The way Itachi can effortlessly pull that regal-like persona in front of Sakura makes Kiba want to scoff and take her away. I'm not intimidated, okay?! Just… ugh.

Two voices spoke at the same time, "I'll take you to your class, Sakura."

Kiba glared at Itachi, while the dark-haired boy just kept his gaze on the pinkette, dismissing the fact that both boys just said the same thing at the exact same time. Sakura, not knowing what to do (I mean, imagine being put on the spot by two handsome, sexy, drool-worthy—ahem), ignored the fangirling inner voice in her head and uttered, "Umm…" She doesn't even know why she suddenly became nervous.

While waiting for her answer, a high-pitched female voice reached the trio's ears. "Sakura, there you are! Come on, let's go to music together!" Seeing Ino, her closest friend since her transfer to Midori Gakuen, waving at her down the hall, she couldn't help but softly sigh in relief. Facing the two boys, she spoke, "I'll be going now. Have a nice day, Itachi-san, Inuzuka-san!"

And the two males stayed rooted at their spot, their hearts pounding as she left them with a beautiful smile.

-x-x-x-

-x-x-

-x-

The last class of the day ended. Instead of heading home, Sakura made her way back to the music room. Her music teacher was still there, so she asked him for additional help with the song that they were practicing during class; she was having troubles with the stack of sixteenth note triplets near the ending of the piece. Twenty minutes later, she exited the room while glancing around the hallway, noticing that most of the students had gone home. As she walked towards her locker, two girls from the upper grade were huddled near the stairs, giggling while fixing their hair and hiking up their skirts, causing Sakura to raise her eyebrow in curiosity. Then, the two headed up the stairs to the third floor (they were at the second floor). Feeling snoopy, Sakura followed the two upstairs, where most of the visual arts and computer-related classes were held.

The two girls stopped by a classroom and peered through the small window on the door, searching for someone. One of them opened the door just enough to be able to stick her head in, and when she came out, she shook her head to say that no one was in the room. Sighing loudly, both girls turned around and headed for the stairs. Sakura, not wanting to seem like she was watching them, walked forwards with her head down. The girls ignored her and she was left alone in the hall. Being the curious girl she was, she cautiously entered the same room the girls peeked at. What greeted her were numerous pictures pasted on the walls, ranging from beautiful snapshots of nature to candid shots of the student body in Midori. Awed by them, she strolled around the room, trying to examine each one while humming softly.

"You."

Startled, Sakura quickly looked to where the voice came from. She tightly gripped onto the strap of her bag when she saw a crimson-haired male standing near the door, a dark scowl plastered on his face. His honey-brown eyes seemed to be piercing straight through her, causing her to avert her eyes to his feet. The male stepped away from the door, and with a steely voice, continued, "Get out."

Slightly offended and highly confused, the pinkette could only voice out a simple "W-what?" As far as she knew, she hasn't done anything wrong to him. Nothing said that she can't come to this room, so trespassing was not an option. She didn't touch any of the pictures, nor the materials scattered throughout the room. What's this guy's problem?

Sasori's eyebrow twitched, and he scoffed. "Are you deaf? I said get out." He walked towards the long desk at the front of the room and placed his bag down. He ignored the girl's stare, and gingerly took out his DSLR camera and some papers concerning his recent photography assignment.

Sakura scrunched her forehead, trying to calm herself from burning him down with her glare. Who the hell is he, anyway? Wanting to stay civilized, unlike the 'jerk', she steadied her voice and said, "And why should I get out? It's not like this room is off-limits." When he paused what he was doing, she snarkily added, "Is it a crime to see the pictures in this room?"

Leaving his stuff on the desk, Sasori walked towards her with an intimidating gait. As he moved closer and closer, the pinkette kept stepping backwards until she ended up against the wall. She could feel a photo pressing on her back, and she would have moved away if Sasori didn't cage her by putting his right hand on the wall beside her head. Blinking at the predicament she was in, she pondered over the thought of deja vu until the crimson-haired male leaned in, his hot breath caressing her right cheek. Her mind was spinning from their closeness, and she slightly closed her eyes when his mouth hovered deliciously next to her ear.

In a bland tone, Sasori spoke, "I have no time for your shallow affection, girlish idiosyncrasies, and idiotic ways to capture my attention with your proclamations of love, so I suggest that you swallow that confession and leave. I have work to do." With that, he turned around and headed back to his things. However, before he was too far from her, the cerise-haired girl muttered, "Jerk."

And she proceeded to kick him at his shin.

"Oww! What the hell, woman?!" Sasori exclaimed, leaning on a nearby chair to lift his leg up and massage the pain away. He turned his head to narrow his eyes at her, only to be met by a deadly expression.

Crossing her arms, showing how offended she was, Sakura said, "You thought I was one of those flirty and obsessed fangirls. FANGIRL. Do you know how offending that was? You put me in the same category as those creepy-ass crazy Homo sapiens who throw their dignity out the window when a handsome boy comes by! Like, do I look like a fangirl, or act like one? Was I batting my eyelashes at you like a lovesick teen when you noticed me? Was I winking at you and speaking in a husky tone in hopes of getting in your pants? Hell, do I even know you? No! Jeezus, this is unbelievable." She finished her rant, and took deep breaths to calm herself. So much for being civilized.

While she was composing herself, Sasori was taken aback. Throughout the day, the girls in his classes kept trying to get his attention, while some even tried to cling on him and suggest naughty things (yikes!). On his way towards the photography room, two girls came up to him and did the same things, adding to his irritated mood. When he saw the pinkette, he instantly thought she was the same, hence the way he acted towards her. But kicking him, then giving that furious rant? He can definitely see that his assumptions were wrong. As he watched her try to calm herself—was that an angry pout?—he couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle, still massaging his shin.

Sakura raised her eyebrow at him, "What's funny, jerk?"

Sasori, in reply, just observed her. Eye-catching pink tresses, green eyes that put real emeralds to shame, fair skin, pouty lips, and an interesting, fiery personality. This girl's a treasure, he thought to himself with a light smirk.

For some reason, the twinkle that Sakura can see from his honey-brown eyes made her a bit self-conscious. Uncrossing her arms and tugging softly at her side bangs, she said, "What are you staring at, huh?"

"You."

That reply caused butterflies to flutter wildly in her belly.

"Ah, I guess I'm sorry, for categorizing you with those 'creepy-ass crazy Homo sapiens'," Sasori chuckled. "I just wasn't in the best of moods today." Sending her an amused smirk, he added, "But was kicking me really necessary?"

Noticing the change in the male's expression, the emerald-eyed girl knew he was sincere with his apology. She decided to let the matter go. Well, bad moods happen. With a hint of a playful smile, Sakura replied, "Yes. Yes, it was."

With the urge to continue talking to her, Sasori asked, in a velveteen voice, "So, which photo do you like the best?" He inclined his head towards the wall behind her.

Sakura turned around, and quietly observed the numerous photos pasted on the wall. Each one of them was taken beautifully. While waiting for her answer, Sasori went to pick up his camera. After a few minutes, the pinkette walked towards a set of five pictures, labelled under the title Five Moments. Each photo portrayed a different situation, but with the same boy; a guitar performance, waiting alone in the bus stop, blowing a birthday cake, walking in crutches, and receiving a kiss on the cheek from a girl. Looking back at Sasori, she said, "These five."

The crimson-haired male approached her. He examined her choices, wondering why she picked photos, which if were compared to the other ones, were pretty much just average. "And your reason?"

Leaning on the table behind her, Sakura looked at the pictures with a delicate smile. In a lightsome voice that seemed to lure Sasori in like a moth to a flame, she replied, "Don't you think it describes each person perfectly? Moments. Whether happy, sad, angry, lonely, surprised, or in love, these moments are what makes our lives so special and unique. Especially those that brings you happiness and pride—the moment you reach the finish line, the moment you hit the last note in your song—these are the ones you remember the most. These snapshots that make up our journey… I think they're beautiful."

Sasori stared at her, amazed by her simple but compelling logic. In his eyes, art was eternal. But for her, it seems that she sees life itself as art. Before he knew it, he was already smiling at her tenderly. This girl is definitely a treasure.

Click!

The emerald-eyed junior switched her gaze from the wall to Sasori, who was holding his DSLR camera in his hands. He was smirking at the candid picture he just recently captured. Biting her lip, she asked, "Did you just take a picture of me?"

The owner of the camera looked her in the eye. With lustrous eyes that remind her of liquid gold, coupled with an elegant smirk that sent her heart racing (asfdgk, another sexy motherfu—inner), he replied, "I did. It's lovely."

A blush quickly formed on her cheeks. Before she was able to embarrassedly say that she wants him to delete it, Sasori continued, "If I give you one of the photos on the wall, will you tell me your name?"

Surprised, she blinked at Sasori confusedly.

The crimson-haired male placed his camera down on the table, and inclined his head towards the wall. "A photo, in exchange for your name."

She looked at him unsurely. "Can I actually keep one? Wouldn't the person who took it be mad or something?"

The tips of his lips curled up. "It's fine, just pick one. Besides, photographers take numerous pictures, anyways."

Looking at various photographs, each one carrying its own beauty, she decided to take up his offer. Sakura stepped towards the centre of the wall. With the tip of her forefinger, she touched a snapshot of a girl at the beach. She was sitting on the sand, back facing the camera. While watching the sunset, the girl was holding onto the strings of five differently colored balloons. "I guess I'll take this one."

"Why not a picture from Five Moments?"

Taking the photograph off the wall, she faced Sasori, mirth present in her emerald eyes. "Because Five Moments is a set of photos. They come in a package. And besides, even though this picture," she held up the hand holding her choice, "is a bit eccentric, I really like it." Chuckling, he nodded. After placing the photo safely inside her messenger bag, she noticed that Sasori was looking at her expectantly. Remembering his offer, the pinkette gave him a slight smile. "Erm, Haruno Sakura, junior."

The redhead gave her a handsome smirk. In a satin-like voice, he repeated, "Sakura."

Cue another round of butterflies.

"Akasuna Sasori, senior. Also the photography club president."

The cerise-haired girl nodded, then spoke, "No club meeting today?"

He shook his head no, and was about to ask her what club she belongs to when the distinct R&B sound of Growl came out of her bag. Mentally scolding herself for not putting her phone on silent while in school, she took her phone out and read the text message sent by her okaa-san. After replying with a simple 'I'm on my way home', she glanced at Sasori, who was looking at something on his camera.

Coughing to get his attention, she spoke, "I have to go home, Akasuna-san. Thanks a lot for the photo." She gave him an oh-so-charming smile, and Sasori would have taken another picture of her if she didn't already turn her back towards the door.

Before she was able to leave the room, the redhead's voice reached her ears. "Call me Sasori." The pinkette glanced back at him, and he continued, "You're welcome to come by again, Sakura." Nodding her head faintly, she responded, "I'll keep that in mind, Sasori-san."

"And oh, just a tip. Never assume that a girl is a fangirl without knowing her!"

With that, the emerald-eyed junior left Sasori with a new, lovely fascination, and a snapshot of a smile he'll remember for eternity.

-x-x-x

-x-x-

-x-

Ah, it's been too long.

Anyways, R-E-V-I-E-W? :)