Chapter One: First Day

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"Noooo!"

A girl hastily ran to a building as she flung herself to a narrow gate. Only three minutes… She had to run quick for the first subject. She hurriedly put off her sneakers and then pulled out her black shoes and paced up to the stairwell. She rushed to the main building, passed by several lockers and other classrooms and noticed another boy who is hurrying to put his shoes on. He left his school coat opened and then stroked his black hair away his eyes.

Sakura really knew she was late. Oh, for that god damned alarm clock! She almost yelled while climbing three to four steps up the stairs. Next to her is that same guy who is about her age, and he seemed as late as she is. The teacher was already there inside the classroom discussing a few things, while she panted and sighed heavily. The guy caught up to her, and they both knew that only one of them can enter the classroom so that minimal attention would be created. She exchanged nervous glances with him, but later on he seemed to give in.

"Go ahead," he muttered to her as he rested his well-built body, gesturing her to come inside.

She knew nothing about that guy, and she simply nodded as a sign of her gratitude. As a transferee at this school, it is a shame if she's late for her first class. Another thing is that if she won't hurry, the teacher might call onto her and notice that she hasn't arrived.

She silently entered, picking a chair on the last row beside the bulletin board. She sighed while the lazy face of the guy who is supposedly her classmate lingered in her, but her daze was stopped when the class president stood up.

"Attention!" he said to everyone and all students stood up almost one by one.

"Good morning, Gai-sensei!"

The teacher, with seemingly thick eyebrows smirked to them proudly. Sakura felt limp upon seeing her new teacher as if she doesn't want to see his face again.

"Be seated. Now then, I need to introduce an exchange student for your homeroom today," their sensei said and it made her heart beat faster in nervousness. "Haruno Sakura, please stand up and be recognized…"

The teacher wrote her name in Kanji and Katakana neatly. "She'll be studying here for the rest of the school year and share youthful experiences with you in this class. Be kind to her and show her the real meaning of friendship and camaraderie, is that understood?"

Gai sensei stood up in front of the class with his glimmering eyes and sparkling grin, and everyone in the class were sweat-dropped.

"Nice to meet you!" the class greeted. Sakura felt touched…

"Nice meeting you too," she whispered silently, and her eyes got glued on the classroom's door… a loud bang came right after, and the guy earlier rudely entered their classroom, thus she feared that he might tell everyone that he got late because of her.

"Gomen nasai…" he replied inaudibly as he took his first step, and then teacher threw an eraser to the air… Sakura closed her eyes and then slowly opened it up. He dodged carefully, and his hair flew gently with the gash of air.

No, please don't tell them I was late…

"Uchiha Sasuke!" the teacher shouted angrily "I really knew at once that you are Kakashi's apprentice!"

He silently took his seat without any word and Sakura was surprised that it was beside hers.

"…Ah! I'm sorry. You may take your seat."

"I think she's cute!" a blonde boy cried, looking straight at Sakura.

"Hmmph! I hate her! She's the first girl who's gonna sit beside Uchiha-kun!" one of her female classmates replied. "He doesn't know it yet, nah! I know he's going to change his seat again! I bet!"

"Anou…" she began to spoke to Uchiha Sasuke, who was barely looking in the windows. She was too shy to speak in his presence, with his tantalizing eyes in different sight. His clasped hands are where he rested his chin, as his eyes winked every time. He is really a cool guy, and she knew it through his silent and unemotional gestures.

Another that she noticed is his sneering, and he seems like he grew up in a rich family

Whether he pays attention to me or not, I'm going to tell him my appreciation to what he did earlier. Her inner self said, more determined ever.

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Moments already passed by and the break finally came. Some girls went to Sakura's place to talk to her, and others to Sasuke. She was nice to the friendly girls, while he shuns their attention. One of them introduced herself as Hyuuga Hinata, and then the other one was Asakura Keiko. Later on, they became friends with her.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, why do you need to live alone at Tokyo? Aren't you scared at all?" Hinata asked.

"Umm, not really." she answered with a smile. "I have training regarding it, y' know."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, my parents usually leave me home alone since I was a kid. We are just a middle-class family, and of course… we have no house help and all,"

"You are like Uchiha-kun, but he has a lot of maids and butlers." Keiko whispered, "Your seatmate, the late guy."

"Oh yeah, you reminded me of him!" she exclaimed. "He saved me from being late. Actually, we just arrived at the same time." She was blushing.

"Aah, Sakura-chan…" Keiko began "It's not safe to hang out with Uchiha-kun."

"Why's that?" she asked innocently. "He doesn't seem that bad."

"Just follow our advice." Hinata said sweetly. "So, where do you want us to begin our exploration?"

Sakura smiled. "Okay, to the campus, where else?"

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Sakura enjoyed the girls' company, and they all are comfortable with each other. They loved doing the same things and they also have same favorite classes. Sakura smiled as she was back on her seat again beside her sleeping seatmate.

"Why does he enjoy not studying?" she thought to herself. "Ah, I remember that he's richest guy around here. So he really doesn't mind and doesn't have to push himself."

"Haruno!" Gai-sensei called. "Please read the 3rd line of The Twelfth Night, Act IV."

"Hai!" She stood up. "Argh! I wasn't listening and I was just thinking about this Uchiha!"

"Page 78." whispered the guy, Sasuke. It was his voice.

"I owe you one!" she mouthed to him before opening the book. "Hey, I thought you were sleeping?"

He shrugged.

"…What is love? Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; what's to come is still unsure:" she paused, "In delay there lies no plenty; then come kiss me, sweet, and twenty! Youth's a stuff will not endure."

"Very good!" Gai-sensei praised her. "You are great when it comes to the English language! Keep up the good work! Ah, the youth!"

Their class clapped their hands. "Thank you. " she sat down.

"Okay. Feste's songs in the play contribute both gaiety and sadness to the mood of the play. In that one famous song read by your classmate, it reminds the audience that they should enjoy the present because nobody can know what the future will bring." he ended.

Literature class is one of the most tensing times when you need to read out lines in the class. Sakura sure passed this, and her friends admire her more.

"Wow, Sakura-chan you look like you were a theatre cast!" Keiko cried. "Way to go!"

"Thanks." she smiled. Then she took a short glance at Sasuke before the day was over. She blushed. The girls noticed it.

"Don't ever try to be his fangirl." Keiko began. "Look at them. They drool as he passes by, but they don't know that it's suicide. This Uchiha never pays attention to them, thus, concentrates on his very own caprices."

"Oh! How selfish!" Sakura exclaimed. "I know he's cute. You are right. It is absurd when I fall for him."

"Good decision, Sakura." Hinata agreed.

"Okay, so are we going later at Hon-Ya?" Sakura asked gleefully.

"HAI!" the two girls agreed, going away to her seat as soon as Uchiha Sasuke was coming and the teacher was sighing.

"Oh my, I don't know how we will continue tolerating him," he said.

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It is afternoon once more, and Sakura, together with her newfound friends tarried now to the bookstore and they came to find stuff for their project. Sakura found someone familiar down the alley leading to the bookstore, and her friends took another way.

"I think it's wrong to stay late in here… Let's go!" Hinata pulled Sakura's wrist.

"Wait up!" she called them up, letting go of Hinata's grasp. "I'm going. We need it ASAP. If you don't want good grades, then fine!"

"S-Sakura-chan!"

"What's your problem?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "Are you going or not?"

"Okay," they surrendered.

"If you only know," Keiko whispered.

"What is it?"

"Nothing…" they chorused. "Uh-oh, here he comes…" the two bowed down. Instead of Sakura doing the same, she waved her hand at him.

"Hi! Are you going to buy things for our project too?" she asked, with her heart-warming smiles.

"Well, what project?" he asked in his usual bored tone.

"Ah, you were sleeping that's why you didn't hear it. You need to keep your eyes awake during classes. Remember that, okay?" Hinata and Keiko looked anxiously at her.

"What did she said? She's killing us all!" Keiko nudged Hinata. "Stop her!"

"Okay," he agreed at her words. "I'm buying those too. Thanks for telling me about it."

"No problem." she said. "Hey girls! c'mon!"

"Hai!" they chorused.

As they all walked along the alley, Keiko and Hinata were puzzled why he agreed with her, for he usually snobs other student's advices and even gets angry. He was melancholically staring at the dark skies, with his hands shoved in his pockets. Sakura observed him at the corner of her eye and wondered why they all respect this mere boy.

"Here we are," Keiko said silently. Sasuke entered first, followed by Sakura, and after a while the two girls.

Sakura scanned the whole place and found the materials. Sasuke quietly followed her, and Hinata and Keiko watched them carefully. They are still scared to speak because they fear him. He is mysteriously silent. He would just stare at everything around him, shrug and snort. He would glare in something annoying for him, but he responds to Sakura's questions.

"Okay, this is all of it." Sakura said, keeping her list.

"Uh, I think we need to pay now. I really, really need to go." Keiko said, rushing to the counter, but when Sasuke moved forward, she stopped. He came in first and he spoke to the cashier. He reached for his pocket and put out a credit card.

"I don't have cash today," he said.

"Okay sir," the cashier said, "We accept all Major credit cards."

"Good." he smirked, and then called the three girls. Hinata and Keiko cringed.

"I'm paying," he said nonchalantly.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. He nodded. "Well, thanks. That's so kind of you!"

"Arigatou!" they all thanked him. He waved his hand and lazily walked away their direction.

"See, I told you every man has a good side," Sakura replied. "And so he is. He still has human heart and emotion."

"But he is really cruel when avenging for what he knew is right." Keiko suddenly said and she cupped her mouth.

"Sakura-chan, you're really way-out." Hinata said, smiling.

"Maybe helpfulness is sincere for him." Sakura defended him. "Okay, bye now. I'm going home. That's my direction."

"Take care!"

"Mata ashita!" Sakura bade.

"If she only knows… really, really know." Keiko told Hinata.

"I think we should tell her tomorrow!" Hinata said, "…before it's too late!"

"Hai!"

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"Okay. Here I am again, alone in this empty apartment," she said, sighing. "Oh no, I haven't bought any emergency stuff! I said that I will buy for my first aid kit, groceries… heck, I need to go back!" she rummaged her bag and found her purse.

She walked to the elevator and hurriedly went downstairs. She walked hastily at the nearest grocery near a dark alley. After getting everything she can from band-aids and the rest of breakfast items, she took a scenic stroll around the plaza.

She stretched out her arms and lifted the rest of the bags up, enjoying her stay there. Suddenly out of nowhere, a shadow was coming to her, and the worst part was it even made her shriek.

"Hey, it's me."

"Uchiha… Sasuke?" she asked looking at the boy as they were illuminated by the street lamp. He was bruised and the corner of his mouth is bleeding. Sakura covered her face with her hands, and started whining.

"BLOOD!" she cried.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked almost angrily.

"I am afraid of… blood… and it's trickling all over your pale face," she whispered. "Don't you feel any pain right now?"

"Oh." he said, wiping the rest of it up with his hand, leaving a smear. "I don't know. Sorry,"

"That's alright," she replied. "Well, good thing I have bought stuff for my first aid kit."

"Thanks."

"And wait," she said "wipe it off, I'm really terrified." She gave him a tissue paper.

"Oh."

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

"Well…" he began "I was walking when some guys wanted to pick a fight with me," he narrated. "And I fought them."

"You're lucky to have survived!" she exclaimed.

"I broke their bones anyway," he said emotionlessly. Sakura was jaw-dropped.

"There," she finished dressing the rest of the wounds with band-aids. He bowed down, and then she smiled at him warmly. He never felt anything touching his heartstrings before, nothing than what she did a while ago.

Therefore, this begins their story…